Anti-Rampal rally disrupt traffic at Paltan

The National Committee to Protect Oil, Gas, Mineral Resources, and Power, Port called an eight-hour general strike on Thursday in the capital protesting the government's move to build the plant.

Activists from various sectors of public organisations gathered at Paltan, Press Club, Dainik Bangla Intersection and nearby areas since early morning and began protests.

Movement of public transport appeared quite normal under police watch since morning.

But traffic in the road leading to Motijheel was cut off when members of several associations including the Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) and Bangladesher Samajtantrik Dal (BaSoD) crowded the Paltan intersection.

The 1320 MW coal-based power plant in Bagerhat's Rampal Upazila is a joint India-Bangladesh project currently under construction.

The proximity of the project to the world's largest mangrove forest, prompted protests from several leftist organisations from the beginning.

Environmentalists say the plant would be a significant threat to the Sundarbans, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The National Committee has been leading the protests.

But the government maintains that it would not harm the Sundarbans.