The Greater Khulna Development Action Coordination Committee has threatened to launch intensified movement to press home their unfulfilled 18-point demands.
The threat came from a press conference held at Khulna Press Club Tuesday morning.
On September 5, the coordination committee will submit a memorandum to the prime minister through the deputy commissioner of Khulna and observe sit-in programme at 10:00am on September 14 as part of the programme for intensified movement, said general secretary of the committee Sheikh Mosharaf Hossain while reading out a written statement at the press conference.
The 18-point demands for which GKDACC has been on movement since its inception in 1989 are meant for greater economic interest of the south-western region, he said.
The other demands are construction of Padma bridge at Mawa, supply of gas through pipelines, a modern rail station, infrastructural development of Mongla seaport, construction of an airport, reopening of all closed production-oriented industries including Dada match factory and newsprint mill, deep seaport at Akram point, modernisation of Bhomra land port, establishment of an Agriculture University, a full-fledged TV station in Khulna city, construction of sustainable embankments in Sidr-and Aila-affected coastal belts, establishment of a marine academy and re-excavation of all silted rivers, derelict ponds and canals.
‘We also demand a separate ministry for the Sundarbans to protect its resources and conserve biodiversity,’ said the committee leader.
The committee president, Sheikh Ashrafuzzaman, said time was running fast for the ruling party to fulfill these demands which were the polls pledges of the government.
‘We call on prime minister Sheikh Hasina not to buy any more time in meeting all these demands on which rely greater economic interest of people of the south-western region of the country,’ he said.
When asked, he defended the move being taken by the government to set up 1320 megawatt coal-based power plant.
But it should be set up without creating adverse impact on existence of the Sundarbans, he said.
-With New Age input
