Nat’l Committee demands public health safety, cancellation of Rampal, Rooppur projects

National Committee to Protect Oil-Gas, Mineral Resources and Power-Port  placed  a 6-point demand including ensuring healthcare service and food security for all, and cancelling all projects like Rampal coal-fired and Rooppur nuclear power plants which are posing risk to public health.

The other demands include ensuring electricity and gas supply at affordable price, realising compensation from foreign companies Niko and Chevron for damage of gas fields, cancelling Special Act facilitating unsolicited power and energy project award, stopping move for open pit coal mining, and engaging local engineers and technicians for hydrocarbon exploration.

Placing the demands at a press conference through videoconference on Sunday in the city, Member Secretary of the National Committee said they will organise an online global solidarity meeting on July 4 involving experts and expatriate Bangladeshis over their demands.

Besides, the organisation will organise virtual and open meetings in different districts throughout the month of June and a view exchange meeting will be held in Dhaka city on June 20 maintaining health guidelines to raise mass support in favour of the demands.

The press conference was also attended by Communist Part of Bangladesh (CPB) leader Ruhin Hossain Prince, BSD leader Bazlur Rashid Firoz, Revolutionary Communist Party leader Saiful Haque and Gano Sanghati Andolon chief coordinator Zonayed Saki.

Criticising the government for continuing big allocation for anti-environment projects like Rampal Power Plant, Rooppur Nuclear Power Project, the leaders said the health sector failed to get adequate allocation despite a large number of people have been infected by Covid-19.