Staff Reporter :
The government will bring activists against Rampal power plant under surveillance and patronises movement against the protesters, Power Division official said.
A decision has been taken to launch a massive campaign in favour of the controversial Rampal coal-fired power plant near the Sunderbans to overcome the right groups’ countrywide public protest.
The official said that the government would use its every tool in social and mass media for publicity favouring the project through advertisements, drama, documentary, talk shows, and video clips containing positive statements of experts and celebrities.
Very recently the decision in this regard was taken at
a meeting with the prime minister’s energy Adviser Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury in the chair at the power and energy ministry.
State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid, Power Division Secretary Monwar Islam and Bangladesh-India Friendship Power Company’s Managing Director Ujjal Kanti Bhattacharya attended the meeting with other power sector officials.
The friendship power company, a 50-50 joint venture of Bangladesh Power Development Board, and India’s National Thermal Power Corporation, will implement and own the imported coal-fired power plant at Rampal of Bagerhat, some 14 kms from the Sunderbans.
Social media campaign will include ‘posting reactive comments using disguised social media accounts and engaging online communities through both official and unofficial facebook and linkedin operations,’ according to a paper titled Communication Strategy which was discussed at the meeting.
‘Plenty of positive news’ will need to be published on newspapers and broadcast by televisions. Amateur video and other forms of documentations containing different technological and development aspects in power generation will also be patronised and promoted, according to the paper.
Initiatives will be taken to manipulate online search engines so that positive contents appear on top. ‘Paid advertisements will be available connecting people through google search, apps, facebook, youtube and television, the officials said.
At the meeting, Nasrul Hamid warned the ministry officials to be cautious against leaking information of Rampal power plant to the media.
Tawfiq-e-Elahi initially opposed the massive campaign for the project as he felt that people would have no grievances once the project was successfully implemented and the electricity was delivered.
Besides, he told the meeting that the Prime Minister had already said Rampal power plant would not leave any adverse impact on the Sunderbans.
Monwar said that the campaign was needed as there were many ‘wrong perceptions’ in the society regarding the environmental impacts of Rampal power plant and available technologies.
The government will bring activists against Rampal power plant under surveillance and patronises movement against the protesters, Power Division official said.
A decision has been taken to launch a massive campaign in favour of the controversial Rampal coal-fired power plant near the Sunderbans to overcome the right groups’ countrywide public protest.
The official said that the government would use its every tool in social and mass media for publicity favouring the project through advertisements, drama, documentary, talk shows, and video clips containing positive statements of experts and celebrities.
Very recently the decision in this regard was taken at
a meeting with the prime minister’s energy Adviser Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury in the chair at the power and energy ministry.
State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid, Power Division Secretary Monwar Islam and Bangladesh-India Friendship Power Company’s Managing Director Ujjal Kanti Bhattacharya attended the meeting with other power sector officials.
The friendship power company, a 50-50 joint venture of Bangladesh Power Development Board, and India’s National Thermal Power Corporation, will implement and own the imported coal-fired power plant at Rampal of Bagerhat, some 14 kms from the Sunderbans.
Social media campaign will include ‘posting reactive comments using disguised social media accounts and engaging online communities through both official and unofficial facebook and linkedin operations,’ according to a paper titled Communication Strategy which was discussed at the meeting.
‘Plenty of positive news’ will need to be published on newspapers and broadcast by televisions. Amateur video and other forms of documentations containing different technological and development aspects in power generation will also be patronised and promoted, according to the paper.
Initiatives will be taken to manipulate online search engines so that positive contents appear on top. ‘Paid advertisements will be available connecting people through google search, apps, facebook, youtube and television, the officials said.
At the meeting, Nasrul Hamid warned the ministry officials to be cautious against leaking information of Rampal power plant to the media.
Tawfiq-e-Elahi initially opposed the massive campaign for the project as he felt that people would have no grievances once the project was successfully implemented and the electricity was delivered.
Besides, he told the meeting that the Prime Minister had already said Rampal power plant would not leave any adverse impact on the Sunderbans.
Monwar said that the campaign was needed as there were many ‘wrong perceptions’ in the society regarding the environmental impacts of Rampal power plant and available technologies.
