'Raise India's river inter-link plan at int'l forums'

A partial view of the discussion meeting on 'Indian Mega River Inter-linking and Bangladesh'. PHOTO: STAR

The massive project will turn Bangladesh into a desert and cause havoc to the ecology and environment. Even Indian water resources experts and environmentalists are opposing the project because it will destroy the ecological balance and displace millions of people there, they said.

They said the world opinion will respond favourably if the government can project the issue properly.

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A local NGO--Gano Unnayan Kendro-- and Oxfam jointly organised the meeting, held at Gaibandha Public Library Hall on Sunday.

Gibandha Deputy Commissioner Tapon Chandra Majumder was the chief guest while engineer Mohammed Helal Uddin, Chief Director of Angiker, another NGO, was the resource person.

Presided over by Commodore (Rtd) Shafiqur Rahman, the discussion was participated by political leaders, representatives of professional groups, NGOs, civil society leaders, cultural activists and students.

They highlighted different aspects of the project and its disastrous effects on the two neighbouring countries.

Under the mega project, 15000 feeder canals will be dug to divert waters of international rivers and reservoirs built at different places to store water in India for use in dry season.

The people of Bangladesh are facing the consequences of Farakka barrage on the Ganges and two other barrages on the Teesta and Barak rivers.

If India implements the project, all the rivers will dry up. Every body can conceive what disastrous effect it will have in Bangladesh, they said. They also stressed the need for building public opinion in the country to raise a united voice against the project. Political parties should take the lead in this regard, they said.