Meghna Group’s rejoinder and our reply
We stand by our report, which is backed by solid sources
Meghna Group of Industries has protested a The Business Standard report "Imported coal for Matarbari plant had stones – some weighing 30kg, probe finds", published on 31 August, terming it false, fabricated, and misleading, and claiming it was intended to tarnish the conglomerate's reputation.
In a rejoinder, the group urged TBS to refrain from publishing such "misleading and defamatory news" against it and its subsidiaries.
Our report: Imported coal for Matarbari plant had stones – some weighing 30kg, probe finds
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The business group finds part of the report with subheadings "Meghna's push to receive the rejected coal" and "Heavy rain to blame" as "ill-motivated and lacking objective journalism."
"The allegation that the supply of coal was mixed with soil is completely false, fabricated, and defamatory," the rejoinder says.
It adds that "the concocted news has undermined the sanctity of the profession and has maliciously attempted to tarnish the hard-earned reputation that the Group has built over the past 50 years."
The Group, in its rejoinder, also said that "Bashundhara Group and Meghna Group are rival companies producing similar products. While Bashundhara Group participated in the tender to supply coal for the 1200MW Matarbari power plant, Meghna Group ultimately won the contract. Subsequently, Bashundhara Group filed a writ petition in the High Court, which it lost, and later appealed to the Supreme Court's Appellate Division, where it was again unsuccessful."
"As a result, Bashundhara Group has allegedly been engaging in various smear campaigns in an attempt to malign Meghna Group," the rejoinder says.
"With the expectation of unlawfully benefiting from and being influenced by Bashundhara Group, TBS resorted to yellow journalism and published the false and defamatory report against Meghna Group, which is deeply unfortunate and goes against the principles and ethics of journalism," it added.
Our reply
We stand by our report, which is backed by solid sources – the Power Division's probe report and confirmation from Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Adviser Muhammad Fouzul Kabir Khan.
We also cited officials of the Coal Power Generation Company Bangladesh Ltd (CPGCBL), the operator of the Matarbari plant, who said the 11th coal shipment contained stones – some weighing up to 30kg – soaked in water and mixed with mud and reddish materials.
In a 21 March letter, the CPGCBL said the shipment contained stones, mud, reddish materials, and excessive water, causing severe operational challenges.
The Power Division later reaffirmed CPGCBL's initial findings, noting in its probe report that Meghna Group officials pressed CPGCBL representatives, in the presence of the probe committee, to accept the rejected shipment with a promise to remove the foreign materials from the coal.
Our report did not mention Bashundhara Group, any rivalry between the two groups, or any hidden agenda for that matter.
