'Varsity teachers want halt to oil, gas lease out to foreigners
Saturday, 1 November 2008
Teachers of seven public universities Friday demanded halt to lease out of oil-gas fields in the Bay of Bengal to foreigners and give final approval to the coal policy during the incumbency of the caretaker government (CG), reports UNB.
They expressed grave concern over the leasing out of oil-gas fields in the sea to the foreign companies and 'conspiracy' of finalising coal policy by M Tamim, special assistant to the Chief Adviser (CA) for Energy.
The CG has no constitutional right to take such decisions, the teachers said, alleging that Tamim is acting as an 'agent' of imperialist and multinational companies engaged in plundering natural and national resources of Bangladesh.
In support of their demand, some 25 teachers formed a human chain that lasted for one hour at the foot of Aparajeyo Bangla on Dhaka University (DU) in the morning.
Teachers of different universities declared that they would take to the streets, if necessary, to resist the coal policy being finalised by the CG.
They said people as the owner of all natural resources in the country must have representation in any move to approve any sort of policy or contract regarding natural resources including gas and oil.
The teachers said it will be unacceptable if the present CG finalises the draft coal policy and if they lease oil and gas in the sea to the foreign companies ignoring people's interests.
Only the elected government has the right to make any policy on natural resources of the country, they said, adding the main task of the present government is to hold a free, fair and impartial election and hand over power to an elected government.
"People of the country are the owner of all natural resources including oil and gas… a government with people's mandate will formulate policy in consultation with the representatives of the people," said Prof Ajoy Roy of DU.
He expressed the hope that all "anti-people" contracts with foreign companies would be cancelled.
The teachers at the human chain programme, with posters wrapped around their chests, demanded adequate compensation for the losses occurred in explosions at Tengratila gas field in 2005 and punishment to all dishonest officials of the Energy Ministry and local brokers of Asia Energy.
Professors AKM Saad Uddin, MM Akash, AAMS Arefin Siddique, Anwar Hossain from DU, Profs Moloy Bhowmick, SM Abu Bakar, Sujit Sarker, Mohammad Naser and Shamsuddin Elias from Rajshahi University, Prof Mainul Islam from Chittagong University, Prof Anu Mohammad from Jahangirnagar University, Prof Jafar Iqbal from Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Shamim Mahbubul Haq from Khulna University and M Shamsul Alam from Chittagong University of Science and Technology, among others, attended the programme.
They expressed grave concern over the leasing out of oil-gas fields in the sea to the foreign companies and 'conspiracy' of finalising coal policy by M Tamim, special assistant to the Chief Adviser (CA) for Energy.
The CG has no constitutional right to take such decisions, the teachers said, alleging that Tamim is acting as an 'agent' of imperialist and multinational companies engaged in plundering natural and national resources of Bangladesh.
In support of their demand, some 25 teachers formed a human chain that lasted for one hour at the foot of Aparajeyo Bangla on Dhaka University (DU) in the morning.
Teachers of different universities declared that they would take to the streets, if necessary, to resist the coal policy being finalised by the CG.
They said people as the owner of all natural resources in the country must have representation in any move to approve any sort of policy or contract regarding natural resources including gas and oil.
The teachers said it will be unacceptable if the present CG finalises the draft coal policy and if they lease oil and gas in the sea to the foreign companies ignoring people's interests.
Only the elected government has the right to make any policy on natural resources of the country, they said, adding the main task of the present government is to hold a free, fair and impartial election and hand over power to an elected government.
"People of the country are the owner of all natural resources including oil and gas… a government with people's mandate will formulate policy in consultation with the representatives of the people," said Prof Ajoy Roy of DU.
He expressed the hope that all "anti-people" contracts with foreign companies would be cancelled.
The teachers at the human chain programme, with posters wrapped around their chests, demanded adequate compensation for the losses occurred in explosions at Tengratila gas field in 2005 and punishment to all dishonest officials of the Energy Ministry and local brokers of Asia Energy.
Professors AKM Saad Uddin, MM Akash, AAMS Arefin Siddique, Anwar Hossain from DU, Profs Moloy Bhowmick, SM Abu Bakar, Sujit Sarker, Mohammad Naser and Shamsuddin Elias from Rajshahi University, Prof Mainul Islam from Chittagong University, Prof Anu Mohammad from Jahangirnagar University, Prof Jafar Iqbal from Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Shamim Mahbubul Haq from Khulna University and M Shamsul Alam from Chittagong University of Science and Technology, among others, attended the programme.