In a mock referendum organised by the Samajtantrik Chhatra Front, 90.48 per cent of the participants opposed the construction of a thermal power plant at Rampal in Bagerhat, in a bid to save the Sundarbans. After weeks of casting votes that began on October 30, 9,148 voters out of 10,111 opposed the project. The voters included teachers, students and officials of Dhaka University. Eight hundred and sixty votes were cast in favour of the power plant, while 103 were rejected for various reasons. Prof. Anu Muhammad, member-secretary of the National Committee to Protect Oil, Gas, Mineral Resources, Power and Ports, announced the "referendum" results on the Aparajeyo Bangla premises of the university yesterday (Thursday).
Anu Muhammad, also an eminent economist, said if the Prime Minister allowed her party activists to cast their votes on the issue freely, 99 per cent of them would vote against the power plant project near the Sundarbans. The government was cheating the people on the Rampal project, he added.
The government side claims that they would use "ultra-super-critical" technology for the project, but India's NTPC, which is implementing it, says there is no such technology for the project, he observed. “The Rampal power plant is a curse for Bangladesh. There will be no way to stop the pollution once the project kicks off,” said Prof. Dr Badrul Imam of Dhaka University’s geology department. The Bangladesh government, in collaboration with India,  is going ahead with the project, ignoring mass protests and serious environment concerns that has moved even UNESCO. The national committee, which is spearheading the “Save Sunderbans” movement, is preparing to launch massive protests in Dhaka at the end of November to push their agenda. However, their previous protests were dealt with an iron hand. Even a “cycle rally” for the Sunderbans had to be aborted in the face of water cannons and obstruction by government supporters.