Tipaimukh a 'public issue, not political'
Sunday, 9 August 2009
Former TIB chairman Dr Muzaffar Ahmed has said India's proposed Tipaimukh Dam project is a public issue, not a political one, and the government must make its decision on the matter taking into account of public opinion, reports bdnews24.com.
"A decision should be made based on the opinions of the people and experts of Bangladesh and India. It will not be right to make any decision without the people," Muzaffar said Saturday, inaugurating a long march programme from Dhaka to Sylhet.
"We will stand beside the government as long as it works for people's well-being. It is a public issue, not any political issue," he said.
He said environmental groups first began protesting against the controversial dam project in 2003 under the leadership of AMA Muhith, who is now finance minister.
The 'Tipaimukh Dam Resistance Committee' and Sylhet Bibhag Unnayan Parishad (Sylhet Division Development Council) set out the long march from the Central Shaheed Minar in the capital at around 11:00am. The march will end on August 10 at Jakiganj in Sylhet.
Among others, committee President Abed Raja, Prof Syed Abul Maksud and Jukta Front Chairman MA Latif Majumder also spoke.
India's controversial dam project is planned to build on the Barak River, which enters Bangladesh as the Surma and Kushiara rivers. The two rivers are lifeline for hundreds of water bodies in the greater Sylhet region of Bangladesh.
A parliamentary standing committee went to India on July 29 to meet with Indian foreign and energy ministers and visit the dam site, but failed to land at the site due to bad weather.
Delegation head Abdur Razzak MP said on return from India that the ministers had assured them of that they would not implement any project to harm Bangladesh.
Delegation members said India is yet to start any construction at Tipaimukh.
The delegation's main aim, Razzak told the news agency before leaving for India, was to obtain India's firm word that the dam would not be used for irrigation purposes that could divert precious water resources from Bangladesh.
India had already said on a number of occasions the dam would not withhold water, but environmentalists and the people of Bangladesh, as well as Manipur state, remain concerned over the impact of the proposed dam in vulnerable downstream areas.
"A decision should be made based on the opinions of the people and experts of Bangladesh and India. It will not be right to make any decision without the people," Muzaffar said Saturday, inaugurating a long march programme from Dhaka to Sylhet.
"We will stand beside the government as long as it works for people's well-being. It is a public issue, not any political issue," he said.
He said environmental groups first began protesting against the controversial dam project in 2003 under the leadership of AMA Muhith, who is now finance minister.
The 'Tipaimukh Dam Resistance Committee' and Sylhet Bibhag Unnayan Parishad (Sylhet Division Development Council) set out the long march from the Central Shaheed Minar in the capital at around 11:00am. The march will end on August 10 at Jakiganj in Sylhet.
Among others, committee President Abed Raja, Prof Syed Abul Maksud and Jukta Front Chairman MA Latif Majumder also spoke.
India's controversial dam project is planned to build on the Barak River, which enters Bangladesh as the Surma and Kushiara rivers. The two rivers are lifeline for hundreds of water bodies in the greater Sylhet region of Bangladesh.
A parliamentary standing committee went to India on July 29 to meet with Indian foreign and energy ministers and visit the dam site, but failed to land at the site due to bad weather.
Delegation head Abdur Razzak MP said on return from India that the ministers had assured them of that they would not implement any project to harm Bangladesh.
Delegation members said India is yet to start any construction at Tipaimukh.
The delegation's main aim, Razzak told the news agency before leaving for India, was to obtain India's firm word that the dam would not be used for irrigation purposes that could divert precious water resources from Bangladesh.
India had already said on a number of occasions the dam would not withhold water, but environmentalists and the people of Bangladesh, as well as Manipur state, remain concerned over the impact of the proposed dam in vulnerable downstream areas.