Make position about Phulbari mine clear
Our Correspondent, Dinajpur
Leaders of five Left parties at a rally in Phulbari yesterday urged the government to implement the agreement signed with the National Committee to Protect Oil, Gas and Mineral Resources on August 30 and to cancel the deal with Asia Energy and threatened of tougher agitation for non-compliance. The deal with Asia Energy for coal extraction from Phulbari mine is detrimental to national interest, they said at the rally organised by Gano Oikya Front, a newly formed local body. A large number of local people and leaders and activists of National Democratic Party, Bangladesh Socialist Party, Biplobi Oikoya Jote, Gonotantrik Mojdur Andolon and Gano Sanghati Andolon attended the rally, held in front of a local cinema hall. The speakers also demanded probe into the August 26 incidents in which several people were killed when law enforcers opened fire on demonstrators protesting the proposed open-pit mining by the UK-based company. It was presided over by Amirul Islam Bablu, general secretary of the Gano Oikya Front. Leaders of the Left parties criticised the government for not making its position clear as regards the agreement after violent protests by people that cost lives. They said people and political parties are not against extraction of coal and foreign investment in the country but will oppose any deal that will go against national interest. The Asia Energy will pay only 6 per cent royalty to the government and export the rest of the coal without utilising those for domestic purpose, they said. Such an agreement is contradictory to national energy policy, which suggests diversified use of energy resources, they said. Once the resources are exhausted, development work will stop for good in the country. The speakers also advised the government not to allow export of Phulbari coal but to utilise it for power generation. They said the deal with Asia Energy will have to be scrapped if the government wants to utilise the coal resources for energy generation and development of the country. Asia Energy was allowed to work in Phulbari without any tender or evaluation by expert committees, they alleged. The speakers also urged the people of Phulbari to remain alert so that vested quarters can not negate the achievement made by the people at the cost of blood. The speakers included Tipu Biswas of National Democratic Party; Abdul Matin Talukdar, acting president of Bangladesh Socialist Party; Abdus Salam, President of National Democratic Labour Party; Mosreffa Mishu of Biplobi Oikya Front and Zunayed Saki and Mobarak Hossain Nannu, both leaders of Gano Oikya Front.
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