Locals were deliberately kept confused over Banshkhali power plant, says probe report

Confusion that spilled over into clashes last month had been created in an effort to generate tension over the Banshkhali power plant in Chittagong. The violence left four people dead, says a government probe report.

The three-member committee, headed by Additional District Magistrate Mominur Rashid, submitted its five-page report to Chittagong Deputy Commissioner Mesbah Uddin on Monday.

Quoting the report, the deputy commissioner told bdnews24.com, “Locals were not aware of the positive aspects of the coal-fired power plant. They were easily led into a state of confusion.”

The Chittagong district administration constituted the probe body after clashes between anti-power plant protesters, project supporters and police and on Apr 4.

A district administration official said on condition of anonymity that the probe report held a local BNP leader responsible for creating a confusion over the project.

The BNP leader misguided locals by creating confusion over the plant. Efforts were made to destabilise the situation in order to tarnish the image of the government,” he said, quoting the report.

Mesbah Uddin said the district administration would take the next course of action following instructions from the government.

Rashid, the probe body chief, said, “The investigation has found that local people were not clear about the power plant.”

He said the report suggested engaging local people in the project implementation process and taking measures to dispel the confusion.

The two other members of the committee were Chittagong district police ASP Tariqul Islam and Additional Public Prosecutor Manoranjan Das.

Bangladesh’s S Alam Group and a Chinese firm are building the 1,320 megawatts power plant at a cost of Tk 200 billion on 600 acres of land at Banshkhali's Gandamara.

A forum, 'Residents for Saving Homesteads', spearheaded by local BNP leader Liakat Ali, began an agitation against the plant early in April.

The members of the forum alleged that the project sponsors were not giving them enough scope for rehabilitation.