Staff Reporter :
The UNESCO has given some conditions to Dhaka that it implements Rampal power plant project in the vicinity of the Sundarbans by protecting the world heritage site, State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources claimed on Friday.
In a press release, the foreign ministry on Thursday said the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO had withdrawn its earlier objection to construction of the coal-based power plant near the Sundarbans, a project that triggered widespread criticism and protests at home and abroad.
However, no official statement on the actual latest position of the
UNESCO’s body with regard to claims of withdrawal of objection to Rampal plant was available as yet.
Talking to journalists in his Gulshan residence on Friday, Nasrul Hamid said, the government of Bangladesh has accepted the conditions from UNESCO to protect the forest.
“The power plant can be constructed where it is being constructed at present (at its existing site),” he said.
The State Minister said “Some conditions have been put forward from the UNESCO side to ensure that the forest is protected. The government has accepted the conditions and we have assured them that we’ll comply with the conditions.”
A Bangladesh delegation briefed the UNESCO about the Rampal power plant in the 41st session of the World Heritage Committee in Krakow, Poland on Wednesday.
“The delegation has been able to convince the UNESCO that Rampal power plant is being constructed giving the highest priority to protection of environment. There won’t be any negative impact of the plant on the Sundarbans,” the State Minister said.
The foreign ministry press release earlier also claimed that the UNESCO had spared the Sundarbans from the list of World Heritage in Danger.
The UNESCO’s site has said nothing new about whether the Sundarbans would be dropped from the heritage site or not.
Meanwhile local rights groups who demanded cancellation of the project, are till rigid on their previous stance saying that they opposed construction of the plant in the current site on basis of independent environmental and scientific report prepared by UNESCO and local experts.
The National Committee to Protect Oil, Gas, Mineral Resources Power and Ports in a statement said, UNESCO has to take the liabilities for destroying Sundarbans if the UN body took decision ignoring their scientists’ reports.
Convener Engineer Sheikh Muhammad Shahidullah and member Secretary of the committee Professor Anu Muhammad said though UNESCO withdrew their objection regarding power plant near the Sundarbans by lobbing some influential groups, the people of Bangladesh will not
backtrack their movement to protect Sundarbans in the greater national interest.
They said, “We can build many power plants like Rampal coal power plant but we cannot make Sundarbans again once it is destroyed.”
The UNESCO has given some conditions to Dhaka that it implements Rampal power plant project in the vicinity of the Sundarbans by protecting the world heritage site, State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources claimed on Friday.
In a press release, the foreign ministry on Thursday said the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO had withdrawn its earlier objection to construction of the coal-based power plant near the Sundarbans, a project that triggered widespread criticism and protests at home and abroad.
However, no official statement on the actual latest position of the
UNESCO’s body with regard to claims of withdrawal of objection to Rampal plant was available as yet.
Talking to journalists in his Gulshan residence on Friday, Nasrul Hamid said, the government of Bangladesh has accepted the conditions from UNESCO to protect the forest.
“The power plant can be constructed where it is being constructed at present (at its existing site),” he said.
The State Minister said “Some conditions have been put forward from the UNESCO side to ensure that the forest is protected. The government has accepted the conditions and we have assured them that we’ll comply with the conditions.”
A Bangladesh delegation briefed the UNESCO about the Rampal power plant in the 41st session of the World Heritage Committee in Krakow, Poland on Wednesday.
“The delegation has been able to convince the UNESCO that Rampal power plant is being constructed giving the highest priority to protection of environment. There won’t be any negative impact of the plant on the Sundarbans,” the State Minister said.
The foreign ministry press release earlier also claimed that the UNESCO had spared the Sundarbans from the list of World Heritage in Danger.
The UNESCO’s site has said nothing new about whether the Sundarbans would be dropped from the heritage site or not.
Meanwhile local rights groups who demanded cancellation of the project, are till rigid on their previous stance saying that they opposed construction of the plant in the current site on basis of independent environmental and scientific report prepared by UNESCO and local experts.
The National Committee to Protect Oil, Gas, Mineral Resources Power and Ports in a statement said, UNESCO has to take the liabilities for destroying Sundarbans if the UN body took decision ignoring their scientists’ reports.
Convener Engineer Sheikh Muhammad Shahidullah and member Secretary of the committee Professor Anu Muhammad said though UNESCO withdrew their objection regarding power plant near the Sundarbans by lobbing some influential groups, the people of Bangladesh will not
backtrack their movement to protect Sundarbans in the greater national interest.
They said, “We can build many power plants like Rampal coal power plant but we cannot make Sundarbans again once it is destroyed.”
