Dhaka: The Nation Committee to Protect Oil-Gas, Natural Resources and Power-Ports on Saturday announced that it will stage a daylong sit-in at the Central Shahid Minar in protest against the Rampal coal-fired power plant’s contract signing.

The committee announced the programme during a discussion on the impact of Rampal Coal-fired power plant’s on the Sundarban at Muktibhaban in Dhaka.

Committee member secretary Anu Mohammad said the government is hiring some people as experts to campaign in favour of Rampal power plant.  ‘But, these people don’t have any working experience to work in any such project, and they’re making wrong statements on the project.’

A report on environment impact assessment (EIA) was placed at the meeting.

Placing the EIA study findings, committee member engineer Kollol Mostafa and Mahbub Sumon said the Rampal power plant will annually burn 4.7 million tonnes of coal which will release 65 litres of mercury to the environment.

He said this mercury will destroy the whole echo system destroying the flora and fauna of the Sundarbans.

He also claimed that the project will also produce 800,000 metric tonnes of ash which will ultimately affect the forest.

Prof Anu Mohammad alleged that the government has been ignoring all scientific findings of EIA study and allowing about 150 industries around the Sundarbans’ sensitive areas.

The function was also addressed by committee member and CPD leader Ruhul Hossain Prince and Dhaka University Prof Tanzimuddin Khan.