The meeting between environmentalists and academicians who are vehemently opposed to the coal-based Rampal power plant near the Sundarbans, and those implementing the project—government officials and officials of the power company—ended yesterday on a futile note. Officials of the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources met several renowned environmentalists and academicians at a meeting at Bidyut Bhaban. State minister for power, energy and mineral resources, Nasrul Hamid, initiated the meeting.
Lauding the government initiative to bring them to the same table for discussions, the environmentalists and academicians said the meeting would ultimately change neither their stance nor that of the government.
The government said it was “lenient” enough to take the suggestions of the protesters against the Rampal power plant into consideration. It, however, was firm about implementing the project.
On November 19, 2015, the government had taken some of these environmentalists and academicians to the project site of Rampal power plant in a bid to convince them. That trip had ended without any result for both sides.
At the beginning of the meeting, Ujjwal Kanti Bhattacharya, managing director of the Bangladesh India Friendship Power Company Limited (BIFPCL), made a PowerPoint presentation on the Rampal power plant.
In his presentation, Bhattacharya said the coal-based 1,320-MW Maitree Super Thermal Power Plant would not harm the ecology of the Sundarbans and its surrounding areas.
Modern ultra-super thermal technology would be used in the Rampal plant and no environment-depleting substance would be discharged from plants. Moreover, a 275-feet-long chimney would be used to emit smoke from the plant.
These measures would protect the Sundarbans, said Bhattacharya.
He said Rampal upazila in Bagerhat district was at a distance from the Sundarbans.
He also said covered carriers would be used to carry coal to the plant, adding, "No polluted or hot water would be discharged into the river. So the water or air would not be polluted."
Dr Shamsul Alam, energy adviser of the Consumers’ Association of Bangladesh (CAB), also criticised the EIA, saying that the method of transportation of coal through the Pashur river has not been clearly mentioned in the EIA.
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Editor : M. Shamsur Rahman
Published by the Editor on behalf of Independent Publications Limited at Media Printers, 446/H, Tejgaon I/A, Dhaka-1215.
Editorial, News & Commercial Offices : Beximco Media Complex, 149-150 Tejgaon I/A, Dhaka-1208, Bangladesh. GPO Box No. 934, Dhaka-1000.
Editor : M. Shamsur Rahman
Published by the Editor on behalf of Independent Publications Limited at Media Printers, 446/H, Tejgaon I/A, Dhaka-1215.
Editorial, News & Commercial Offices : Beximco Media Complex, 149-150 Tejgaon I/A, Dhaka-1208, Bangladesh. GPO Box No. 934, Dhaka-1000.