Green activists marching towards the Sundarbans to protest against the construction of coal-based power plants and other industrial units near the mangrove forest have vowed to continue their movement until the initiatives are scrapped.
The activists reached Khulna city from Jessore Saturday noon. They brought out a procession on Khulna-Jessore Highway and later held a rally at Hadis Park in the afternoon.
On the concluding day of the four-day event, the mass procession is set to reach Katakhali of Rampal in Bagerhat on Saturday.
The leaders of National Committee to Protect Oil, Gas, Mineral Resources, Power and Ports are leading the march programme that began on Thursday. Several thousand activists of different left-leaning parties, mainly of the Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB), Bangladesher Samajtantrik Dal (BSD), Workers Party and Ganosanghati Andolon, joined the event with a convoy of 10 buses and seven microbuses.
During the march, the protesters distributed leaflets, posters and booklets among the people while cultural activists performed songs with a call to save the Sundarbans – a Unesco World Heritage Site.
Bangladesh-India Friendship Power Company Ltd (BIFPCL), a joint venture of PDB and NTPC of India, is developing the 1320MW Maitree Super Thermal Power Project at Rampal which will use imported coal. Besides, local firm Orion Group is building a 566MW power plant in Rampal area.
The National Committee has long been opposing the coal plants saying that the projects would pose major threat on the biodiversity of the forest, life of the water species and livelihood of the people who depend on the forest's resources. They also protest the government plan to establish an economic zone, cement factories, shipyards and silo near the power plants.
The government, however, claims that the projects would not harm the Sundarbans as they would use advanced technology to cut emission of hazardous gases including carbon dioxide, fine particles and fly ash, and properly dispose the solid and liquid wastes.
Speakers at Friday’s rally at Hadis Park again condemned the obstructions created by Jessore police on Friday, and said that the government would not be able to suppress the movement. Central and local leaders of the organisations spoke at the rally.
Member Secretary of the National Committee Prof Anu Muhammad said that the policymakers had lost their minds. Some of them said that they would prefer humans to animals, birds and forest. “But it is obvious that humans will not be able to survive if the animals and tress cannot. The fate of the Sundarbans is at stake because of such policies,” he said.
“They are sacrificing national interests and awarding all the projects to foreign firms in the name of generating electricity.”
The Sundarbans is a key source of natural resources for both Bangladesh and India, and hence, both the countries should take effective steps to preserve the forest, he said. “But the two governments have indulged in destroying the Sundarbans for the sake of some businessmen,” Pro Anu said.
A 12-member Indian delegation comprising environmental activists, writers and journalists joined the mass procession on March 10. Moreover, green activists held a rally in London on Friday while another rally was held in Amsterdam of the Netherlands yesterday to express solidarity with the programme.
The Unesco, the Ramsar and other local and international environment experts have expressed concerns regarding the projects. A Unesco delegation of experts is likely to visit Bangladesh this month to learn about Dhaka’s initiatives to tackle the environmental impacts of the Rampal coal power plant.