Hasina defends Indo-Bangla power plant, warns opposition BNP

From Anisur Rahman Dhaka, Aug 27 (PTI) Bangladesh Prime Minister SheikhHasina today allayed environmental concerns over the coal-fired power plant to be set up jointly with India near theSundarbans and warned opposition BNP that attempts to createanarchy on the issue will be scuttled with an "iron hand". "Let me tell you one thing, I would have been the firstperson to oppose the power plant had there been a slightestchance of damage of the Sundarbans," she told a pressconference at her Ganobhaban residence here. Hasina issued a stern warning against attempts to createanarchy by "making a non-issue an issue", saying "we will nothesitate to control it with an iron hand". The Premier’s comments came three days after BangladeshNationalist Party (BNP) chief and ex-premier Khaleda Ziatermed the proposed Rampal coal-fired power plant "anti-people" and "unprofitable" as she asked the government to pullback from the project for the sake of the country’s ecologicalbalance. "If the project is implemented, our beloved motherlandwill no longer remain a place worthy of living…no citizen ofthe country will accept it," Zia had said while expressing herfear that it would reduce employment opportunities for thepeople who depend on the Sundarbans mangrove forest, thelargest such forest in the world. "We cannot allow anyone to implement its plot to destroythe Sundarbans. It is a timely demand to resist the evilefforts of making profit and gaining unethical interestssacrificing the country’s existence and interests," Zia hadsaid. BNP earlier had said it would announce action programmesprotesting the 1,320 MW power plant, "considering thebehaviour of the government" and extended its support to aleft-leaning national committee to protect mineral resources,petroleum, forests and ports. Bangladesh and India last month signed the landmark deal,paving the way for launching the construction work for thecoal-fired plant, marking the transition in cooperation fromelectricity export to generation-level. Bangladesh-India Friendship Power Company (Pvt) Limited(BIFPCL), a joint venture enterprise, inked the deal withstate-run Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL), which wasselected under an open international tender for constructingthe "ultra-super critical thermal plant" in Bangladesh’ssouthwestern Rampal near the Sundarbans. India’s Exim Bank would finance the USD 1.49 billionproject, scheduled to start generating power in 2019. Bangladesh will share 50 per cent of the profit with Indiawhile the produced electricity would be used entirely byBangladesh. Hasina said the proposed plant would be a "ultra-supercritical plant" having "all available ultra modern technologyto prevent pollution" using "highest standard coal to beimported from Australia, Indonesia and South Africa" insteadof low-grade Indian coal. PTI AR ASKASK