People in their hundreds joined a long march yesterday demanding cancellation of the Rampal power plant project.
Protesters had held a rally in front of the Jatiya Press Club in Dhaka before over 1,200 people set out on the “Save the Sundarbans” long march towards Rampal, Bagerhat around 11:00am.
The National Committee to Protect Oil, Gas, Mineral Resources, Power and Ports has organised the long march. The committee in association with several leftist parties, including the Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB), Bangladesher Samajtantrik Dal (BSD) and Gono Sanghati Andolon, hosted the rally.
As the long march caravan travelled forward, more people joined in the demonstrations and held rallies at Savar and Jahangirnagar University.
Bangladesh and India had inked a deal on April 20 to set up a 1,320MW coal-fired power plant at Rampal, only 14 kilometres off the Sundarbans.
The project drew huge flak from eminent citizens, including the national committee members, as they alleged that the government in the name of solving the energy crisis had chosen a destructive path to “serve the interests of a vested quarter” at home and abroad.
Environmentalists warned that if the power plant was implemented, it would destroy the Sundarbans, the world’s largest mangrove forest.
Speaking at the rally before the Jatiya Press Club, Prof Anu Muhammad, member secretary of the national committee, urged the government to find alternative sites to Rampal to produce energy.
From the Jatiya Press Club, the long march moved towards Savar via Shahbagh, Dhanmondi and Asad Gate, from where a convoy of buses carrying protesters joined the long march.
Around 1:30pm, the caravan reached the Rana Plaza collapse site in Savar, where the nine-storey building had caved in on April 24, leading to the death of 1,133 people.
The protesters held a 30-minute rally there to commemorate the victims of the disaster.
From there, the long march travelled to Jahangirnagar University, where a brief rally and a cultural programme were held in the afternoon.
Several hundred people with around 20 vehicles joined the long march from the university and the adjoining Savar area.
At around 6:00pm, the long march arrived at Manikganj and held a rally at the Shaheed Minar in the town till 9:00pm.
Speakers at the rally complained that both the governments of India and Bangladesh were proceeding with the Rampal power plant “to satisfy the greed of some Indian corporations.”
Noted columnist Syed Abul Moksud said, “The people of Bangladesh have
a history of resisting oppressors. They’ll resist the anti-people project as well.”
Convener of the national committee Sheikh Muhammad Shahidullah said the power plant will destroy the Sundarbans, which not only protects the population of the country’s south from natural disasters, but also provide them with their livelihood.
Anu Muhammad said there has been unprecedented land grabbing in the Sundarbans since the power plant was planned.
“The ecological balance of the area will be destroyed if the government doesn’t take immediate steps to cancel the project,” he added.
Khalequzzaman of BSD, Shah Alam of CPB and Jonayed Saki of Gono Sanghati Andolon spoke at the rally, chaired by Majanur Rahman Hajrat, general secretary of Manikganj unit of CPB.
The protesters will stay in the town at night.
The long march is scheduled to reach Rampal on Saturday, where the protest programme will end with a rally at Digraj.
On the way to Rampal, demonstrators will stage rallies in Faridpur, Jessore and Khulna.
Protesters had held a rally in front of the Jatiya Press Club in Dhaka before over 1,200 people set out on the “Save the Sundarbans” long march towards Rampal, Bagerhat around 11:00am.
The National Committee to Protect Oil, Gas, Mineral Resources, Power and Ports has organised the long march. The committee in association with several leftist parties, including the Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB), Bangladesher Samajtantrik Dal (BSD) and Gono Sanghati Andolon, hosted the rally.
As the long march caravan travelled forward, more people joined in the demonstrations and held rallies at Savar and Jahangirnagar University.
Bangladesh and India had inked a deal on April 20 to set up a 1,320MW coal-fired power plant at Rampal, only 14 kilometres off the Sundarbans.
The project drew huge flak from eminent citizens, including the national committee members, as they alleged that the government in the name of solving the energy crisis had chosen a destructive path to “serve the interests of a vested quarter” at home and abroad.
Environmentalists warned that if the power plant was implemented, it would destroy the Sundarbans, the world’s largest mangrove forest.
Speaking at the rally before the Jatiya Press Club, Prof Anu Muhammad, member secretary of the national committee, urged the government to find alternative sites to Rampal to produce energy.
From the Jatiya Press Club, the long march moved towards Savar via Shahbagh, Dhanmondi and Asad Gate, from where a convoy of buses carrying protesters joined the long march.
Around 1:30pm, the caravan reached the Rana Plaza collapse site in Savar, where the nine-storey building had caved in on April 24, leading to the death of 1,133 people.
The protesters held a 30-minute rally there to commemorate the victims of the disaster.
From there, the long march travelled to Jahangirnagar University, where a brief rally and a cultural programme were held in the afternoon.
Several hundred people with around 20 vehicles joined the long march from the university and the adjoining Savar area.
At around 6:00pm, the long march arrived at Manikganj and held a rally at the Shaheed Minar in the town till 9:00pm.
Speakers at the rally complained that both the governments of India and Bangladesh were proceeding with the Rampal power plant “to satisfy the greed of some Indian corporations.”
Noted columnist Syed Abul Moksud said, “The people of Bangladesh have
a history of resisting oppressors. They’ll resist the anti-people project as well.”
Convener of the national committee Sheikh Muhammad Shahidullah said the power plant will destroy the Sundarbans, which not only protects the population of the country’s south from natural disasters, but also provide them with their livelihood.
Anu Muhammad said there has been unprecedented land grabbing in the Sundarbans since the power plant was planned.
“The ecological balance of the area will be destroyed if the government doesn’t take immediate steps to cancel the project,” he added.
Khalequzzaman of BSD, Shah Alam of CPB and Jonayed Saki of Gono Sanghati Andolon spoke at the rally, chaired by Majanur Rahman Hajrat, general secretary of Manikganj unit of CPB.
The protesters will stay in the town at night.
The long march is scheduled to reach Rampal on Saturday, where the protest programme will end with a rally at Digraj.
On the way to Rampal, demonstrators will stage rallies in Faridpur, Jessore and Khulna.
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