Conze wary of Rampal effect

German ambassador in Dhaka Albrecht Conze’s concerns about Bangladesh-India joint Rampal power plant are not directed at a coal-fired project but the environmental risk it poses to Sundarbans, the world’s largest mangrove forest. The German envoy said on Tuesday he wanted to draw everybody’s attention to the UNESCO’s granting of the ‘world heritage site’ status to the Sundarbans, a prestigious rating it could revoke in the face of man-made alterations, just as it had once happened with a German city. He said his remark bore no insinuation but a plain reminder that the world heritage status conferred by the UNESCO was not necessarily permanent. The question arose as a German company is to be hired as the project’s Chief Consultant by the Bangladesh-India Friendship Power Company despite the ambassador’s worries. Officials say Fichtner, also known as ‘Owners Engineers’ would prepare the plant design, appoint contractors, oversee equipment purchase, and supervise the construction work. The ambassador had expressed ‘concern’ over the construction of the 1320MW coal-fired plant while on a visit to Khulna last month, saying ‘it is not too late to look for other sites’, according to a news agency.