A High Court (HC) judge on Wednesday felt embarrassed to hear on a writ petition filed seeking a stay on the government’s move to start construction of the Rampal power plant till an assessment of the environmental impact of the project is carried out. The HC bench comprising Justice Naima Haider Chowdhury and Justice Jafor Ahmed held the primary hearing on the petition on Monday and adjourned the hearing till today.
While the petition came up for hearing, the junior judge of the bench Justice Jafor Ahmed felt the embarrassment to hear on the petition.
As per the rules, the petition now will be sent to the chief justice and he will form a bench for final disposal of the petition, advocate Manzill Murshid and counsel for the petitioner told The Independent.
Earlier on Sunday, four Supreme Court lawyers, including Advocate Asaduzzaman Siddiqui, filed the petition seeking a stay on the construction of the Rampal power plant near the Sundarban.
Apart from this petition, four separate writ petitions relating to the matter were pending before the High Court for disposal.
The petition stated that the government has reportedly permitted the Power Development Board (PDB) to construct the coal-fired power plant near the Sundarban without properly conducting an environmental impact assessment (EIA).
It sought HC directives to form an independent committee, comprising national and international experts, to evaluate the environmental impact of the proposed power plant, which is going to be set up just 14 km from the world’s largest mangrove forest, the Sundarban.
The petition sought a HC directive to the government to transfer the proposed plant from the Sundarban area and set it up in an area in the country which would not damage the environment.
It also sought HC intervention to take necessary steps to protect the environment and the lives of locals and to preserve the biodiversity of the Sundarban.
Bangladesh and India had inked a deal on April 20 to set up a 1,320 MW coal-fired power plant at Rampal in Bagerhat.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is set to inaugurate construction work on the plant on October 22.
Country’s environmentalists and eminent citizens criticised the government move, saying it would jeopardise ecological balance of the mangrove.
-With The Independent input
