BNP on Thursday urged the government to retreat from its ‘adamant decision’ of constructing Rampal thermal power plant to protect the biodiversity of the Sundarbans.
“We believe the government will move away from its obstinate decision to build a coal-fired power plant at Rampal near the Sundarbans if it thinks about the country’s interest and its environment and biodiversity,” said BNP spokesman Asaduzzaman Ripon.
Addressing a press briefing at the party’s Nayapaltan central offices, he further said, “We hope the government will immediately stop the work on the power plant project.”
Mentioning that BNP is not against the construction of any coal-fired power plant, he said the government should install such a power plant somewhere else in the country instead of near the Sundarbans. “We’ll cooperate with the government if the power plant is built in a place which won’t affect the environment. We want power plants to be constructed in the country, but not near the Sundarbans.”
“It’s not a political issue to oppose the power plant at Rampal. But, if the power plant is constructed there, it’ll badly harm the world’s largest mangrove forest. No one of us can expect it,” the BNP leader observed.
Ripon said environmentalists, noted citizens, different political parties and Unesco expressed deep concern over the government’s move to build the power plant near the Sundarbans.
“Voicing its deep concern, Unesco last year sent a letter to the government asking it to look into the matter. It also said the Sundarbans will be dropped from the World Heritage Sites as it may falls under endangered heritage list if the plant is built,” he said hoping that the government will not make the nation ashamed of destroying its own pride of the Sundarbans.
Source: UNB
