Protect Sundarbans from profit seekers

The world's largest mangrove forest, the Sundarbans, can not be protected if the profit seekers can enter into it in the name of Rampal power plant project, said educationist Prof Abdullah Abu Sayeed.

He made the remark yesterday at a seminar with the slogan, "We don't want power plant destroying the Sundarbans; we want electricity, and also the Sundarbans," organised by Bangladesh Nagorik Samaj at Dhaka University.

Environmentalists and eminent educationists demanded that the government should abandon the 1,320MW coal-fired power plant, 14 kilometres upstream of the Sundarbans, a world heritage site declared by Unesco.

"The main aim of this power plant is profit; they are not focused on India- Bangladesh friendship. It's the government's responsibility to protect the Sundarbans from those who are greedy for profit," said Prof Abu Sayeed.

Columist Sayed Abul Maksud said, "It's not a political issue; rather it's about our existence. We have to protect the mangrove forest at any cost."

Environmentalist Prof Abul Bashar said, "Genetic resources, which are preserved in the Sundarbans are needed everywhere, so the international organisations also protested the project."