Although the Indian state agency NTPC has been barred from constructing power projects to protect small forests and arable land in its country, it is implementing a huge power plant at Bagerhat’s Rampal which would harm the Bangladesh part of the Sundarbans, a Unesco World Heritage Site, conservationists said yesterday.
“An Indian delegation visited the project area on April 2 and has again been trying to justify the project by providing false information,” a press statement issued by the National Committee for Protection of Oil-Gas and Mineral Resource, Electricity Sector and Ports said.
Committee Convener Sheikh Muhammad Shahidullah and Member Secretary Anu Muhammad in the joint statement said: “We know that the Indian National Green Tribunal on March 13 suspended the environmental clearance for the NTPC’s power plant project in Karnataka. The court said the NTPC gave false and ambiguous information about the project land, pollution, secured clearance before formulating guidelines on compensation and rehabilitation and also ignored the locals’ opinions.”
The committee said irregularities centring the Rampal plant were more severe when the NTPC (National Thermal Power Corporation) also concealed information.
Criticising the Bangladesh government for implementing the 1320MW coal-based power project hurriedly, the committee leaders urged the Unesco to take effective measures against the scheme.
The Sundarbans mangrove forest acts as a shield for the millions of coastal people during cyclones, they said while urging the government to shelve the project as it would be devastating for the forest.
The platform said an anti-India sentiment was already strong in Bangladesh because of the neighbour’s unilateral decisions on the Farakka Barrage, sharing of Teesta water and overall environmental degradation.
It urged the Indian government to cancel the project immediately “if you do not want the sentiment to become worse.”
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated construction of the plant in October last year.