Scrap allocations for controversial power plants: Oil-Gas Committee

Scrap allocations for controversial power plants: Oil-Gas Committee

The National Committee to Protect Oil Gas Mineral Resources Power and Ports on Saturday opposed allocations for the controversial power plants in the proposed budget.

The budgetary allocation for Rampal Thermal Power Plant, Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant and Matarbari Power Plant would be suicidal for the people and the environment, said the committee members at a press briefing at the Communist Party of Bangladesh central office.

They demanded withdrawal of the allocations for the above power plant projects as the big projects also created scopes for large scale corruption.

The national committee organised a budget review meeting titled ‘Rampal, Rooppur and Budget 2019-20’, where member secretary of the committee, economist Anu Muhammad read out the keynote paper.

The national committee raised six-point demand, including suspension of Rampal power plant and other projects which would damage Sundarbans, publication of white paper on the Rooppur, Matarbari, Banshkhali and Barguna power plant projects, scrapping ‘indemnity law’ for power sector, implementation of Phulbari agreement, strengthening Petrobangla and BAPEX.

Leaders of the committee, Ruhin Hossain Prince, Abdus Sattar, Abul Hassan Rubel, Khan Asaduzzaman Masum, researchers Kallol Mostafa, Mahi Mirza and others took part in the meeting.