PM sees no harm to Sundarbans from Rampal plant
Prime minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday reiterated her government’s firm stand for coal-based power plant at Rampal, 65 kilometres away from mangrove forest Sundarbans, saying the power plant would not cause any harm to the world heritage famous for home of Royal Bengal Tigers and rich biodiversity.
At a press conference at her Gonobhaban residence here this afternoon the prime minister ruled out the claim of a certain quarter that the power plant would destroy the mangrove forests.
The Rampal power plant is located about 14 kilometers away from the outer boundary of the Sundarbans and 65 kilometers away from the world heritage site. International rule permits coal-based power plant beyond 10 kilometers area of a deep forest, she said.
Recalling the announcement of UNESCO declaring the Sundarbans as a world heritage site in 1997, the prime minister said the recognition was earned during the time of Awami League government due to its effective initiative.
Blasting BNP chairperson for joining the propaganda against the power plant, the prime minister said, “Position of BNP chairperson is like that of showing more sympathy to a child by aunty than one’s mother.”
Sheikh Hasina said the proposed Bangladesh-India Friendship Thermal Power Plant at Rampal is one of those coal-based plants the government has decided to install in different parts of the country to meet the growing electricity demand and reach the electricity to people at a logical price.
But, a vested section against development has been spreading negative, baseless, fictitious and misleading information among people for the last few days and trying to make them fearful of the project, she said.
Saying that BNP chairperson’s joining with the propaganda on August 24 last seemed to have her deep conspiracy, the prime minister said asking “otherwise why she (Khaleda) has come up in public with her negative attitude after a long time of beginning of the construction work of the power plant?”
“Khaleda Zia was giving instigation from inside. With the press conference on August 24 last she also joined that propaganda,” Sheikh Hasina said, observing that there might have a deep conspiracy behind Khaleda’s public appearance with the quarter opposing the power plant.
The prime minister said all the information and data furnished by BNP leader about the power plant are ‘false, fabricated and misguiding’. She has come up with the false information to misguide the people, she said.
Terming the coal as the most reliable resource of future energy, the prime minister said in near future it would be impossible to continue supply of natural gas to the country’s gas-based power plants. Developed countries like USA, France, Germany, China, Japan and neighboring India meet about 40 to 98 percent of their electricity demand with coal-based power. But, coal-based power in Bangladesh is a little bit more than one percent, she said.