Govt urged to cancel decision to postpone gas supply to SW region
Sunday, 12 April 2009
Our Correspondent
KHULNA, April 11: A human chain was formed Saturday in the Khulna city on Khan A Sabur Road and Daulatpur Uttara Bank Intersection demanding immediate gas supply to the region. Speakers at the one-hour programme beginning at 10:30am urged the government to cancel the decision to postpone the $125 million gas supply projects for the Khulna region.
Thousands of people from different professions and organisations including Greater Khulna Development Action Committee, Khulna Press Club, Khulna Nagorik Forum took part in the programme. Commerce Minister Lt Col (retd) Mohammad Faruk Khan and State Minister for Labour and Employment Begum Monnujan Shufian expressed their solidarity with the demand and participated in the programme for some time.
Besides, Khulna City Corporation (KCC) Mayor Talukder Abdul Khaleque, Nazrul Islam Monju MP, Vice-Chancellor of Khulna University Md Shaifuddin Shah and Khulna University of Engineering and Technology (KUET) Vice-Chancellor Nowsher Ali Morol were also present during the programme.
The speakers said two projects - Bheramara-Khulna gas transmission line and southwest gas distribution projects - were taken in 2007 to provide gas in 10 southwestern (SW) districts by 2010 - 2011 fiscal year. The projects were funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Gas Sector Development Project. As the project cost of another GSDP-funded project to establish gas compression station at Sylhet and Ashuganj had been increased from $55 million to $150 million, the energy ministry on March 23 decided to transfer the money allocated for the SW projects there.
They threatened to go for tougher movement if the decision to postpone the gas supply projects for Khulna is not cancelled immediately. Similar human chains were formed separately in Bagerhat, Satkhira and other districts of the Khulna division on the same demand.
KHULNA, April 11: A human chain was formed Saturday in the Khulna city on Khan A Sabur Road and Daulatpur Uttara Bank Intersection demanding immediate gas supply to the region. Speakers at the one-hour programme beginning at 10:30am urged the government to cancel the decision to postpone the $125 million gas supply projects for the Khulna region.
Thousands of people from different professions and organisations including Greater Khulna Development Action Committee, Khulna Press Club, Khulna Nagorik Forum took part in the programme. Commerce Minister Lt Col (retd) Mohammad Faruk Khan and State Minister for Labour and Employment Begum Monnujan Shufian expressed their solidarity with the demand and participated in the programme for some time.
Besides, Khulna City Corporation (KCC) Mayor Talukder Abdul Khaleque, Nazrul Islam Monju MP, Vice-Chancellor of Khulna University Md Shaifuddin Shah and Khulna University of Engineering and Technology (KUET) Vice-Chancellor Nowsher Ali Morol were also present during the programme.
The speakers said two projects - Bheramara-Khulna gas transmission line and southwest gas distribution projects - were taken in 2007 to provide gas in 10 southwestern (SW) districts by 2010 - 2011 fiscal year. The projects were funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Gas Sector Development Project. As the project cost of another GSDP-funded project to establish gas compression station at Sylhet and Ashuganj had been increased from $55 million to $150 million, the energy ministry on March 23 decided to transfer the money allocated for the SW projects there.
They threatened to go for tougher movement if the decision to postpone the gas supply projects for Khulna is not cancelled immediately. Similar human chains were formed separately in Bagerhat, Satkhira and other districts of the Khulna division on the same demand.