Banshkhali power plant movement

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Banshkhali power plant movement was a 2016 protest movement against a Bangladeshi-
Chinese consortium's acquisition of agricultural lands, graveyards and homes to build a coal-based
power plant in the Banshkhali Upazila of Chittagong, Bangladesh. Clashes between protesters and
police officers killed four (according to police) or five people (according to protesters).[1][2] According
to the protesters, four more people went missing after interactions with police.[3]

Background[edit]
In February 2016, the Bangladesh Power Development Board signed an agreement to begin
purchasing electricity from a consortium of two companiesthe Bangladesh-based S. Alam Group
of Industries and the China-based Shandong Electric Power Construction Corporation IIIin
November 2019 (when the consortium's planned coal plant would be operational).[4] Experts warned
about the environmental impact of a new coal plant,[5] and protests began on March 19, 2016 (shortly
after the agreement was signed).
Protests turned violent with the involvement of terrorist groups linked with the governing Bangladesh
Awami League and the Power Development Board.[4] Amid the protests, the power board began
acquiring land by force with the help of local Bangladesh Awami League leaders.[6]
On April 2, 2016, when the owners and engineers of the coal-based power plant attempted to visit
the construction site, protesters swooped down on the officials' motorcade. Police cracked down on
the protesters, arresting seven. Angry at the arrests, local residents called for a public gathering on
April 4.[7]
Awami League leaders called a meeting at the same place on the same day. Local police invoked
a Section 144 law restricting public gatherings in the area.[8] When local residents gathered on April 4
to protest, police opened fire and killed at least five people.[9] It was the largest loss of life in an anti-
coal protest since the murder of six people in Jharkhand, India.[3]

Agreements[edit]
On October 31, 2013, the S. Alam Group of Industries was authorised by the Awami League
government to build two coal-fired power plants in Chittagong's Banshkhali Upazila despite the lack
of an environmental impact assessment.[10] In December, the group (one of Bangladesh's fastest-
growing conglomerates) signed an agreement with China-based energy company Shandong Electric
Power Construction Corporation III for a coal-based power plant.[8] On February 16, 2016, the
government signed an agreement to purchase power from the plant (which has a capacity of 1.22
MW) at 6.61 per kilowatt hour.[6]

Land acquisition[edit]
In 2013, the S. Alam Group of Industries (the plant's local owner) began acquiring land from local
residents with the help of the governing Awami League. Residents complained that they were not
paid appropriate compensation and were forbidden to contact the group's executives.[6]

Protection committee[edit]
A committee to protect habitation and graveyards was formed after the S. Alam Group said it had
acquired about 600 acres (240 ha) of land in the area, primarily inhabited by subsistence salt
farmers. Former union chairman and local Bangladesh Nationalist Party leader Liakat Ali was
nominated to lead a rally to protect agricultural and residential land, mosques, temples and
graveyards from the S. Alam Group and compel a public hearing.[5]
Events[edit]
Frustration with the overlooking of demands and taking land from local residents without proper
compensation culminated on March 11, 2016, when hundreds gathered to protest acts by the S.
Alam Group of Industries and the government. During a March 19 rally, local Awami League
members fired on the crowd. As the crowd dispersed, it became violent.[4]
Protests continued, and at a March 23 public hearing attended by about 3,000 people assurances
were given that their demands would be considered.[7] Despite the public hearing, S. Alam Group of
Industries officials continued their work; on April 2, several engineers and a company director visited
the project area. Protesters attacked their motorcade and vandalized a CNG-powered auto rickshaw.
Charges were filed against local residents, and seven were arrested within 24 hours.[8]
To protest the arrests, a rally was scheduled for April 4 by the "Committee to protect habitation and
graveyards". To foil the rally, Awami League members scheduled a meeting for the same date and
place and local police invoked a section-144 law banning public gatherings.[8]
On April 4, about 500 villagers defied the section 144 and began demonstrating against the actions
of the police and the government. Police and 30 motorcycles carrying Awami League members
arrived and ordered the protesters to leave. When the protesters refused, police and Awami League
members began firing on the crowd. Four people died at the scene and two more under medical
care.[8]

Aftermath[edit]
On April 4, Bangladesh Nationalist Party chief Begum Khaleda Zia issued a statement criticizing the
government for the killings and demanded that the government conduct a judicial investigation to
identify the culprits and bring them to justice.[8] The Chhatra Oikkya Forum announced a general
strike in Banshkhali to protest the deaths and demanded that the power-plant project be moved from
the area.[5] During April 5 protest rallies in Chittagong, leaders of the National Committee to Protect
Oil, Gas, Mineral Resources, Power and Ports demanded the immediate arrest and prosecution of
the killers. According to CoalSwarm co-founder Ted Nace, it was the greatest loss of life since the
2011 Jharkhand anti-coal protest in India.[3]

References[edit]
1. Jump up^ "Bangladesh power plant protest: Four dead and three held". BBC. 4 April 2016.
Retrieved 2016-04-06.
2. Jump up^ " ". Manabzamin. 4 April 2016. Retrieved 2016-04-06.
3. ^ Jump up to:a b c "Bangladesh coal plant protests continue after demonstrators killed". The Guardian.
7 April 2016. Retrieved 2016-04-08.
4. ^ Jump up to:a b c " ". Jugantor. 19 March 2016.
Retrieved 2016-04-06.
5. ^ Jump up to:a b c "Banshkhali locals vow to protect land". Dhaka Tribune. 6 April 2016.
Retrieved 2016-04-06.
6. ^ Jump up to:a b c "3,000 villagers prosecuted for Banshkhali killing". New Age (Bangladesh). 4 April
2016. Retrieved 2016-04-06.
7. ^ Jump up to:a b " : ". Jugantor. 4 April 2016. Retrieved 2016-04-06.
8. ^ Jump up to:a b c d e f "4 killed in clash over setting up power plant". The Daily Star (Bangladesh). 4
April 2016. Retrieved 2016-04-06.
9. Jump up^ "Banshkhali firing: Relatives file 2 cases, cops sue 3,000". The Daily Star (Bangladesh). 4
April 2016. Retrieved 2016-04-06.
10. Jump up^ " ". Jugantor. 4 April
2016. Retrieved 2016-04-06.
The proposed imported coal-fired power plant in Banshkhali of Chittagong is set to become the biggest
private sector investment in the countrys power sector. A joint venture of Bangladeshs S Alam Group,
and Chinas SEPCO-3 Electric Power Constitution Corporation and HTG Group will build the thermal
power plant with a net capacity of 1,224MW at a cost of $2.4bn. But as reported in the Dhaka Times on
13 May 2016, the Gondamara union (ward) in Chittagongs Banshkhali has become a prison as the police
continue to lay siege and cordon off the area. The [Banshkhali power plant] project started with fraud,
falsity and criminal activities against the Banshkhali people, while the local conglomerate S Alam group
started grabbing 1,700 acres of government khash (public) land in the name of the project, said Prof.
Anu Muhammad, secretary of the National Committee to Protect Oil, Gas, Mineral Resources, Power
and Ports. Bangladesh is getting sliced to fulfil the interests of other countries. India is in Rampal
(another coal power station) to create its strategic power, while Russia is in Rooppur nuclear power
plant, USA is capturing the Bay of Bengal and now China is in Banshkhali coal-based power plant in the
name of creating a special economic zone in Bangladesh. He added that the electricity crisis cannot be
solved with destructive projects like Banshkhali and Rampal coal-based power plants, and Rooppur
nuclear power plant project. Panic has gripped the locals of Gondamara union in Banshkhali upazila as
police continued to raid the area in May 2016. Locals claimed that the raids were being conducted to
foil their movement against the move to install a coal-fired power plant there. Police, however, claimed
that they were conducting the drives to arrest the accused in different cases and recover illegal arms in
the upazila. Police checkpoints were being set up at Time Bazar in Shil Kup, Harun Bazar in Saral and
Bangla Bazar in Chambal, virtually confining the villagers, they claimed. Other than children and very
elderly people, most male members in the area are now on the run fearing arrest after the events of 4th
April 2016. No one is paying heed to our problems. What is going on in the union? They [police] have
turned the whole union into a jail. Now, no one can go outside the union, claimed Abu Ahmed, a close
aide of Liakat Ali, convener of the Committee to Protect Habitations and Graveyards (Daily Star, 19 May
2016). Fear of environment pollution and other hazards, if the power plant was installed, prompted
the people of Gondamara area of Banshkhali to go for agitation. The locals alleged that some people in
favour of S Alam Group forced them to sell their land to the group. Mosharraf Hossain, an Imam of a
mosque in Chittagong city and resident of Gondamara, said that there were several hundred
homesteads in the area where S Alam Group was trying to set up the coal-fired power plant. We will
not be able to live there if the power plant is set up. Our household, arable land and salt processing
fields would be damaged due to the pollution if the plant was set up, said Mosharraf. Meanwhile, Hanif,
an honours student of Chittagong College and resident of the village, said S Alam Group engaged some
paid brokers to grab local peoples land. The brokers forced local people to sell their land at lower price.
They threatened us when we did not agree to sell our land, said Hanif. (New Age, 6 April 2016). The
Land Office gave its clearance to S Alam Group to buy 3,000 acres of land, terming the acquired land as
barren land; this is a baseless claim, the land is used for rice farming and for salt production.
Protesters follow the lead of the "Committee to protect habitation and graveyards", implying that some
of the land is sacred. On 4th April 2016 at least four people were killed. A few days later the local
population of Banshkhali agitating against the proposed coal power plant by S Alam Group issued an
ultimatum asking the authorities to scrap the project. Liakat Ali, convener of the Homestead and
Graveyard Protection Committee, made the announcement from a condolence rally held on the West
Gondamara Primary School premises to pay respect to the four protesters killed and to the many people
injured by police and goons. I want to make it clear that this is not a movement of any political party.
Rather, it is the movement of the people. I urge the prime minister to give a second thought to the
proposed project before the problem deepens. Please resolve the problem without further delay, said
Liakat, who is also the former chairman of Gondamara union (ward). (Dhaka Times, 8 April 2016).
Monowwar Islam, secretary of the governments power division, said Bangladesh is a power-hungry
country that needs huge amounts of electricity to develop. It is highly dependent on natural gas reserves
that are dwindling, he said. We have no other option but to go for coal the long-term solution is
coal-based power plants.

NameBanshkhali coal power station, Chittagong, Bangladesh

CountryBangladesh

ProvinceChittagong

SiteBandhkhali

Accuracy of LocationMEDIUM regional level

Type of Conflict (1st level)Fossil Fuels and Climate Justice/Energy

Type of Conflict (2nd level)Thermal power plants

Land acquisition conflicts

Specific CommoditiesElectricity

Coal

Project Details

A coal power station (two units) of 1320 MW.

See more...

Project Area (in hectares)1,100

Level of Investment (in USD)2,500,000,000

Type of PopulationSemi-urban

Potential Affected Population30,000

Start Date01/04/2016

Company Names or State EnterprisesS. Alam from Bangladesh

SEPCO-3 Electric Power Constitution Corporation from China

HTG Group from China

Relevant government actorsGovernment of Bangladesh

Environmental justice organisations and other supportersNational Committee to Protect Oil, Gas,
Mineral Resources, Power and Ports.

Committee to Protect Homestead and Graveyards.

Intensity of Conflict (at highest level)HIGH (widespread, mass mobilization, violence, arrests, etc...)

When did the mobilization beginPREVENTIVE resistance (precautionary phase)

Groups MobilizingFarmers

Fishermen

International ejos

Local ejos

Neighbours/citizens/communities

Social movements

Trade unions

Forms of MobilizationBlockades

Objections to the EIA

Public campaigns

Street protest/marches

Occupation of buildings/public spaces

It is alleged that no EIA has been carried out.

Impacts

Environmental ImpactsPotential: Air pollution, Biodiversity loss (wildlife, agro-diversity), Soil

contamination, Deforestation and loss of vegetation cover, Surface water pollution / Decreasing water
(physico-chemical, biological) quality, Groundwater pollution or depletion

Health ImpactsPotential: Exposure to unknown or uncertain complex risks (radiation, etc), Other
Health impacts

Socio-economic ImpactsVisible: Displacement, Militarization and increased police presence, Violations of

human rights, Land dispossession
Potential: Increase in violence and crime, Lack of work security, labour absenteeism, firings,
unemployment, Loss of livelihood, Loss of traditional knowledge/practices/cultures, Specific impacts on
women, Loss of landscape/sense of place

OtherLoss of land for farming and for salt production. Impact on fisheries.

Outcome

Project StatusProposed (exploration phase)

Pathways for conflict outcome / responseCriminalization of activists

Deaths

Repression

Violent targeting of activists

New Environmental Impact Assessment/Study

On April 5th 2016 at least four people were killed in demonstrations against the plant, and again in
February 2017.

Development of AlternativesNot building the large coal power station

Do you consider this as a success?No

Why? Explain briefly.After the agitation and the killing of demonstrators in April 2016, the goverment
says the plans to build the coal power station will go on. One more protester was killed, and dozen more
injured on Febuary 2, 2017 during another violent altercation with the police in Banshkhali. The local
people have been protesting against the plant due to the fear of forced evictions, including disturbance
of their sacred graveyards and damage to the environment. The locality is under continuous patrolling
by security guards to ensure construction of the plant.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-bangladesh-power-protest-idUSKBN15H0L3

Sources and Materials

Links

Dhaka Times, 6 May 2016, repression against anti-coal power station activists

[click to view]

Report by Pinaki Roy on the killings on 4th April 2016 and on the general pattern of protests against coal
power stations in Bangladesh

[click to view]
New Age, report of 6 April 2016

[click to view]

'Scrap Banshkhali project by Saturday ', Anwar Husain, Chittagong - Dhaka Times 8 April 2016.

[click to view]

Anu: Police have made Banshkhali a prison, by Abid Azad. Dhaka Times 13 May 2016.

[click to view]

Power Plant Protest. Raids spark panic in Gondamara, Daily Star 19 May 2016.

[click to view]

Media Links

End Coal. Bangladesh has big and controversial coal plans, posted April 12, 2016 by Bob Burton

[click to view]

Dakha Tribune, 5 April 2016, gives names of the demonstrators killed, and the policer version

[click to view]

Other Documents

Demonstration, April 2016 People from all walks of life gathered at the local Rahmania Senior Madrasha.

Source: http://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2016/apr/06/banshkhali-locals-vow-protect-land

[click to view]

Meta Information

ContributorJMA

Last update02/02/2017

Source: https://ejatlas.org/conflict/banshkhali-coal-power-station-chittagong-bangladesh
Chittagong power station (S Alam)
Chittagong power station (S Alam), also known as the Banshkhali plant, is a proposed 1,320-megawatt
(MW) coal plant in Chittagong, Bangladesh. The project will be built by SEPCOIII Electric Power
Construction Corporation.[1]

Background

In December 2013, S. Alam Group of Bangladesh signed an agreement in Dhaka with China's SEPCOIII
Electric Power Construction Corporation to build a 1320 MW coal plant in Chittagong. The cost of the
project was estimated at $1.8 billion. The Daily Star reported, "Officials said the new company would
sign a separate agreement with state-run Power Development Board, which will mandate the joint
venture to complete the construction work in 45 months."[1] It is not clear from the report whether the
project will be a formal joint venture involving the Bangladesh Power Development Board, or whether
the "joint venture" refers to the agreement signed between S Alam Group and SEPCOIII.

On February 16, 2016, the government of Bangladesh approved the deal and set a price to purchase
electricity from the group at a rate of BDT 6.61 per unit. The group started to acquire 600 acres of land
for this plant. According to Bangladesh's The Daily Star: "Surprisingly, all these steps were taken without
any Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and public consultation. There was no environmental
clearance."[2]

In April 2016 S Alam group was asked to revise its environmental impact assessment report (EIA) for the
project.[3]

Public opposition

According to the Daily Star of Bangladesh, the project has been marred by a lack of transparency and
irregularities since its inception. Authorities also avoided discussing the full scope of the project's
impact: "The local administration had shown a total of only 150 households in the project area, but in
reality the area has at least 7,000 households, 70 mosques, graveyards, a technical education institution,
around 20 cyclone shelter houses, one high school, eight primary government schools, two Alia
Madrassa, five Qawmi Madrassa, five markets, and one government hospital. Hiding the real numbers is
a familiar practice to rationalize the project and also to ease the handover of khas (government) land to
the private company."[2]
March 2016: Thousands protest plant

On March 23, 2016, 30,000 people gathered demanding the project be shifted elsewhere and their land
be returned to them. On April 3, 2016, police arrested seven people from the village, accusing them of
obstructing the company's work. In response, on April 4, 2016, locals gathered under the banner of
Boshot Bhita Rokkha Committee (Committee to Protect Households).[2] Witnesses estimated the the
crowd at around 15,000 protesters.[4]

April 2016: Four killed in plant protest

Four people were killed after police opened fire on the protesters. Witnesses said that 100 people were
injured. According to local authorities, police claimed that the shootings occurred when protesters
attacked them at the "banned" protest.[4] According to the Daily Star, members of a paramilitary group
were allegedly paid by the company to break up the event and started firing on the unarmed protesters,
with the police eventually joining in the shooting.[2]

The victims included a pair of brothers, according to district police chief Hafiz Akter. In addition to the
fatalities, dozens of protests were reported injured, as well as 11 policemen, one of whom was shot in
the head. According to Dr. Saiful Islam of Chittagong Medical College Hospital, seven people, including
four who were shot by live rounds, were brought to his clinic. According to protest leader Abu Ahmed,
"Police opened fire as we brought out a procession against the power plants. They even chased the
villagers to their homes."[4]

February 2017: One killed, a dozen injured at Chittagong protest

One person was killed and "about a dozen" were injured at a protest on February 1, 2017 against the S
Alam power Chittagong power station. According to Nurul Mostafa, a leader of a citizens group opposing
the plant, protesters were chanting slogans when police attacked them.[5][6]

Financing

Two Chinese firms -- SEPCOIII Electric Power and HTG -- are financing US$1.75 billion of the the plants'
estimated $2.4 billion cost.[4]

Project Details

Sponsor: S. Alam Group (70 percent), SEPCOIII (20 percent), STG Development Group (10 percent)[7]

Parent company:

Location: Chittagong
Coordinates: 22.3667, 91.8 (approximate)

Status: Pre-permit development

Gross Capacity: 1320 MW

Type:

Projected in service:

Coal Type:

Coal Source: Indonesia[1]

Source of financing: SEPCOIII Electric Power and HTG (US$1.75 billion of $2.4 billion cost)

Articles and resources

References

Jump up to: 1.0 1.1 1.2 "S Alam Group teams up with Chinese firm for coal power plant," The Daily
Star, December 20, 2013

Jump up to: 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Anu Muhammad, "Scrap projects of destruction," The Daily Star, April 11,
2016

Jump up "Banshkhali coal-based plant fails to get environmental clearance," energynewsbd.com, May
7, 2016

Jump up to: 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 "Four killed an anti-China power plant protest in Bangladesh," The
Peninsula, April 5, 2016

Jump up Serajul Quadir, "One killed in Bangladesh protest against Chinese-backed plant," Reuters,
February 2, 2017

Jump up "Banshkhali coal power station, Chittagong, Bangladesh," EJ Atlas, accessed May 2017

Jump up "Deal on 1,224MW Banskhali coal power plant," Prothom Alo, February 16, 2016

Source: http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Chittagong_power_station_(S_Alam)
Banshkhali Coal Power Plant Propaganda and Reality
Kallol Mustafa
I had the opportunity to visit Gondamara of Banskhali upazila as part of a fact finding mission organised
by the National Committee to Protect Oil-Gas-Mineral Resources, Port and Power on April 8. I wanted to
understand why the locals were resisting the proposed coal-fired power plant and what led to the killing
of people on April 4. The role of the police and the S. Alam group in the Banshkhali killings has already
been exposed. Here I explore the rationale behind the local uprising against the coal power plant.

The proponents of the project argued that people were instigated by some 'vested quarters' which
provided them 'misinformation', thus leading to this tragic incident. However, I found the local people to
be very well-informed about the impacts of the coal power plant and felt that they did not need to be
'instigated' by 'misinformation' to protest against the said plant. Let me give some examples.

I asked one young man, Why are you against the coal power plant?

He replied, There will be huge amounts of toxic smoke and ash from the stack of the coal power plant.

I challenged him, How can you say so? Have you seen any?

He then showed me a video on his mobile phone where a lot of smoke was coming out of the stack of a
coal power plant in another country.

I learned that people in the area had been familiarised on the issue through videos, articles and debates
via an educated section of the community. This community has also read newspaper articles and
booklets published as part of the campaign against the setting up of a coal power plant near the
Sundarbans, and even discussed its impact with others. As a result, the local farmers, housewives, salt
workers, fisherman, etc. were very aware of the impacts of the coal power plant on health, local
agriculture, water and aquatic life.

A local fisherman told me that the hot water discharge from the power plant would have negative
impact on the availability of fish. This reminded me of a study report of JICA on the impacts of coal-fired
power plant in Chittagong. The report acknowledged: Sea area in front of the power plant is open
water, and thermal effluent is diffused at the surface layer. Fish avoid the sea area if it exceeds a
suitable water temperature, therefore living fish are likely to be impacted even though the thermal
effluent is diffused. (Preparatory Survey on Chittagong Area Coal Fired Power Plant Development
Project in Bangladesh, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Tokyo Electric Power Services
Co., LTD and Tokyo Electric Power Co., LTD, 2015). Local people also expressed their concerns on the
possible impact of gaseous emission and fly ash on their health and agricultural production. These are all
very legitimate concerns as there are numerous examples all over the world of how big coal-fired power
plants have caused havoc on health, life, agriculture and environment. For example, a study on the
impact of Dahanu coal power plant in Maharashtra, have found that During the period of 1995 to 2003
the overall yield of Sapota from Dahanu's orchards dropped by around 60 percent. (Impact of coal-
fired thermal power plants on Agriculture: A case study of Chicku Sapota orchards of Dahanu
Maharashtra, Arun. P. R., Azeez PA and Maya V. Mahajan, Global Environment: Problems and Policies,
2009). Another study on the impact of coastal coal-fired power plants in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil
Nadu concludes, Coastal thermal power plants have massive and serious impacts on the local water
systems, local communities and livelihoods. They were found to have salinized groundwater,
contaminated local water bodies, disrupted water drainage patterns, dumped pollution irresponsibly,
impacted yields of fish and affected people's livelihoods. (Impacts of Coastal Coal Based Thermal
Power Plants on Water Report of Visit to Some Operational and In Pipeline Plants in Andhra Pradesh and
Tamil Nadu, Manthan Adhyayan Kendra, 2014).

My next question was: Then how could S. Alam group manage to buy 660 acres of land from you for
the power plant? They argued that S Alam group had bought land from them saying that it would build
garments and other factories which would generate huge employment in the area. In recent days, S
Alam Group denied this allegation in their advertisement titled Confusion and Reality published in
almost all national or local newspapers. However, a letter issued by Bashkhali Upaziala land office dated
November 15, 2015 clearly mentioned that 660.40 acres of land was bought by S Alam group to be used
for setting up the Genesis Textile and Apparels Limited and S.Alam Vegetable Oil Ltd! Moreover, the
local land office had issued this clearance for S. Alam Group, after showing that there are only 150
households in the entire area. However, according to locals I interviewed, there are more than 7,000
households with several mosques, schools, bazaars, and health clinics in the area, which seems more
credible to me, as per my observations of the three unions in that area. The letter also mentioned that S
Alam Group's original intention was to own 5,032.14 acres of land to build two 1,320 MW coal-based
thermal power plants, of which 1,728.97 acre is Khas land and 3,303 acres is private land. The Land
Office gave its clearance to S Alam Group to buy 3,000 acres of land, terming the acquired land as
barren land; this is also a baseless claim, as I have myself seen that the land is fertile with rice and salt
farming.

While the JICA report acknowledged that there will be permanent losses or reduction of livelihood
means in salt farming, shrimp farming and fishing activities, in its advertisement, S. Alam Group claimed
that 1,000 people would be given permanent employment after the project is completed. When I asked
local people about their opinion on this prospect, they simply rejected it by saying, What will we do
with 1,000 jobs when the power plant will destroy the livelihoods of 50,000 people? We need to note
here that the villagers of Krishnapattam region of Andhra Pradesh, India, were also promised thousands
of jobs, but in reality, the huge capital investments in the port and power plants, that promised
development for the local communities, have, at best, offered them jobs of sweepers and security
guards, and that too, on a contractual basis (Breaking the myth behind Coastal Thermal Power Plants,
indiatogether.org, July 28, 2014).

While S. Alam Group uses examples of China, India and other countries in its advertisement to justify its
coal power plant, the real picture is rather bleak for proponents of coal-fired power plants. Beijing,
where pollution averaged more than twice the national standard pollution of China last year, will close
the last of its four major coal-fired power plants next year (Beijing to Shut All Major Coal Power Plants
to Cut Pollution, Bloomberg, March 24, 2015).

While India continues to build coal power plants, it at least imposes restrictions on building coal-fired
power plants not only near forests, but also near human habitats and agricultural land. India's
Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Guideline 2010 prohibits coal-fired power plant within 25 kms
of metropolitan areas. Recently, a central green panel of India refused to give approval to the National
Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) to set up a 1,320 MW coal-based project in Madhya Pradesh, noting
that a thermal power plant near human habitat and on agricultural land was not viable (NTPC's coal-
based project in MP turned down, The Hindu, October 8, 2010).

But in Bangladesh, local and foreign private and public companies are being allowed to build huge coal-
based thermal power plants near reserve forests like the Sundarbans, heavily populated areas, and
agricultural lands. Bangladesh does not have sufficient regulations and EIA guidelines to protect forests,
wetlands, and agricultural lands. Although insufficient, the acts and guidelines we have are not strictly
followed. In the Bashkhali case, S. Alam Group bought land concealing information, started constructing
pillars, deployed excavation machines for land development and also set up temporary tin-sheds to
monitor and manage the work, without taking any of the three clearance certificates - site clearance, EIA
approval, and environment clearance which are mandatory for any red-listed projects like the coal
power plant, according to the Bangladesh Environment Protection Act 1995 (Banshkhali power plant
yet to get environmental clearance, Prothom Alo, April 10, 2016)!

The government needs to understand that the population density of Bangladesh is much higher than
that of China, India or USA. So, the 'big country mega project model', which requires huge amounts of
land and risks the livelihood of thousands of people, cannot be followed in Bangladesh. It would be best
if we can completely avoid destructive coal-fired power plants, but if that's not possible then we can
build smaller units (say 100 MW), considering the impacts on local agriculture, health and environment
and following strict rules and regulations. We need to learn to sacrifice profits, instead of sacrificing lives
and livelihoods.

The writer is an engineer and member of National Committee to Protect Oil-Gas-Mineral Resources,
Port and Power.

Source: http://www.thedailystar.net/op-ed/politics/banshkhali-coal-power-plant-propaganda-and-
reality-1208137
Banshkhali power plant construction
suspended
Dhaka: A Bangladeshi company has suspended work on a planned Chinese-backed coal-fired power
plant after four demonstrators opposing its construction were killed earlier this week, reports Reuters,
quoting a senior company official on Thursday.

Villagers for and against the power plant clashed on Monday before riot police fired their weapons after
coming under attack. Three protesters died that day and a fourth died later in the hospital.

S Alam Group, a Bangladeshi conglomerate responsible for building construction at the site, has halted
the work because of safety concerns, said the official.

"The development work is suspended for now and hopefully the situation will be improved soon to start
our work again," he said, asking not to be named because he was not authorised to speak to the media.

The $2.4-billion, 1,320-megawatt project in the coastal district of Chittagong would help Bangladesh end
electricity shortages. The plant, located 265 km (165 miles) southeast of the capital Dhaka, is a major
source of foreign investment into Bangladesh, and one of a series of plans Beijing is pushing to cultivate
closer ties with Dhaka.

China's SEPCOIII Electric Power Construction Corp, which signed a deal to build the plant with S Alam on
Monday, wants the government to intervene to end the violence before it restarts work, the S Alam
official said.

"They wanted to know how many days will it take to settle the issue and how it will be solved," he said.

A leading protester told Reuters on Thursday that he had given the government a deadline of Friday to
cancel the plant or opponents would continue their demonstrations.
"If necessary, the people will sacrifice their lives to save their forefathers home and land," Liakot Ali said.

The protesters say villagers around the project will lose their homes and it will disturb the graveyards of
relatives as well as cause environmental damage.

The plant aims to produce electricity by 2019 but it might miss the target, Ajharul Islam, chief engineer
of the state-run Bangladesh Power Development Board in Chittagong said.

S Alam project coordinator Bahadur Alam said 360 acres (146 hectares) of land has been purchased for
the project. He said the site lies in an isolated area and accused protest leaders of provoking
neighbouring communities after their demand for money was rejected.

Liakot Ali denied demanding any money from S Alam.

Bangladesh's government would provide assistance in moving the site of the plant if asked, Nasrul
Hamid, a junior minister for power, energy and mineral resources, said Thursday.

Electricity "is a top priority sector," he said.

Source: http://www.newsbangladesh.com/english/details/13309
Banshkhali power plant yet to get environmental clearance
The much-touted Banshkhali coal-fired power plant project has not yet obtained the clearance from the
Department of Environment (DoE).

S Alam Groups sister company SS Power Limited in collaboration with a Chinese company, SEPCOIII
Electric Power Construction Corporation, struck a deal last year to set up the power plant in Gondamara
of Banshkhali upazila, Chittagong, with a cost of Tk 240 crore.

As the S Alam Group has started acquiring lands for the project, the villagers protested against the coal-
fired power plant, saying the coal-fired power plant will take a heavy toll on the environment and
ecosystem in the area.

On 4 April, at least four villagers were shot dead and 20 others injured in a clash between the law
enforcers and villagers who were demonstrating against the power plant.

Three types of clearance certifications are required to set up such a plant. This type of plant is
considered a red-listed one in line with the Bangladesh Environment Protection Act 1995, suggesting
that it is harmful for the environment.

According to the act, red listed projects need to get site clearance and Environmental Impact
Assessment (EIA) approval before starting any infrastructural work. Environment clearance is needed
before setting up any kind of machineries for the power plant.

S Alam Group executive director Subrata Kumar Bhoumik told Prothom Alo that they have already
submitted the EIA report to get the clearance from the DoE and are also expecting to get the clearance
soon, he added.
DoE officials said the environmental clearance committee will discuss the report of SS Power on 12 April
to give approval of site clearance and EIA.

Alleging that SS power already started constructing pillars, deployed excavation machines for land
development and also set up temporary tin-sheds to monitor and manage the work, the environmental
organisations said one of the preconditions to setup such a power plant is it has to have support of the
local people. The environmentalists think that the Banshkhali protest shows the locals do not support
the project.

S Alam Group however said that four public hearings were held with the locals as part of preparing the
EIA report of the project. There were enough people present at those public hearings who supported
the project.

Ecologist and North South University ecology departments professor Mizan R Khan said there is a
restriction on any kind of construction work on the project site before EIA approval. The recent protest
in Banshkhali proves that public support had not been garnered. He also suspected that the public
hearing was false.

The DoE said Asia Energy got the clearance from DoE for the Phulbari coal project in 2005, during the
BNP-Jamaat tenure. However, DoE cancelled the clearance of the Phulbari project in 2009. The DoE in
this case said the protest in Phulbari proved that locals are not supporting the project.

Talking about Banshkhali power plant, state minister for power and energy Nasrul Hamid said this is a
private project. The government only gave permission to S Alam Group to setup power plant. If they can
setup the power plant and generate electricity, then government will buy the electricity from them, he
said. The government is not related in any way with the project, he added.

Source: http://en.prothom-alo.com/bangladesh/news/101147/Banshkhali-power-plant-yet-to-get-
clearance
Banshkhali coal-based plant fails to get environmental clearance
The much talked about 1,224 megawatt Banshkhali coal-based power plant project of S Alam group
has failed to get environmental clearance certificate.

The Department of Environment (DoE) which has the responsibility to issue such certificate, refused to
give one in its 369th meeting on environmental clearance certificate to this the imported coal-fired
power plant in Banshkhali, Chittagong, revealed the meeting minutes on April 28.

The DoE meeting was presided by Sultan Ahmed, director and convener of the environmental clearance
certificate committee.

The DoE meeting minutes said that S Alam group was asked to revise its environmental impact
assessment report (EIA) for the project.

The revised report must have signature and seal from the high officials of S Alam group in each page. It
must also contain other necessary supporting documents.

An official from DoE told energynewsbd.com that we are planning to add more conditions to S Alam
group for getting the environmental clearance certificate.

As there has been some controversy centering on the project, the DoE now prefers to take slow-on
policy on the project so that in future, there will be no pressure on them.

That is why we will meticulously look into everything before issuing their clearance certificate, asserted
the DoE official adding that it might take a lot more time for the final issuance.
Meanwhile, experts and industry stakeholders believe that upon failure to get environmental clearance
certificate, the construction of this controversial power plant has faced another road block in its
implementation.

It is to be noted that on April 4, four people have been killed in a clash between police and two groups
of villagers over the issue of construction of this coal-based power plant in Banshkhali.

After that, the Committee to Protect Homestead and Graveyard of Gondamara at Banshkhali upazila in
Chittagong on April 26 staged a rally again on West Gondamara Primary School premises protesting the
move to construct a coal-fired power plant by a local conglomerate S Alam Group.

Officials concerned from the Power Division feared that as in the meantime, the protesters have
declared fresh new protest agenda, the plant might not be implemented there at all.

An official with the Power Division who preferred anonymity told energynewsbd.com that this project of
S Alam has appeared as a hindrance against the implementation of other government project.

On February 16, a joint venture of Bangladeshs S Alam Group, and Chinas SEPCO-3 Electric Power
Construction Corporation and HTG Group signed contract for building the ultra super critical thermal
power plant with a net capacity of 1,224MW at a cost of $2.4bn.

If the project failed to get environmental clearance then the implementation of this project will be
delayed and this makes the implementation of the project a distant possibility, informed the power
division official.

Talking with energynewsbd.com on the issue, Sultan Ahmed, DoE director said that they have found that
some document and information submitted by S Alam group were missing.

"We have asked them to re-submit those, he said.

Source: http://energynewsbd.com/details.php?id=562
Banshkhali protesters suspend anti-power
plant demonstration for 15 days
The demonstration against the construction of a power plant in Chittagongs Banshkhali scheduled for
Sunday has been postponed for 15 days.

A forum styled 'Residents for Saving Homestead' announced the deferment of their agitation
programme on Saturday following discussions with a ruling Awami League leader, lawyers and a former
Banshkhali Police Station OC.

Local BNP leader and convenor of the forum Liakat Ali said Chittagong Awami League leader Abdullah
Kabir Liton held the discussion following Prime Minister Sheikh Hasinas directive.

Liton told local residents that the power plant work would remain suspended for 15 days.

False cases against locals will be withdrawn and arrested persons will be released. Treatment will be
arranged for those [injured in clashes] who avoided treatment for fear [of arrest], he said.

On Apr 4, four protesters died in clashes with police and with those opposing the plant.

Liton also said Bangladeshi and foreign environment scientists will hold a seminar to brief locals and
make them understand that the coal-fired plant will not be a threat to the environment in the area.

Tension mounted in the area on Friday when the protesters and those backing the plant announced
simultaneous programmes for Sunday.
The supporters of the project said they would go ahead with their demonstration in support of the plant
on Sunday.

Source: http://bdnews24.com/bangladesh/2016/04/09/banshkhali-protesters-suspend-anti-power-
plant-demonstration-for-15-days

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.

Bangladeshs 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.

Source: http://bdnews24.com/bangladesh/2016/05/10/locals-were-deliberately-kept-confused-over-
banshkhali-power-plant-says-probe-report
Banshkhali power plant: Khas land
people wary of eviction
Fear of losing livelihood and shelter on khas land has turned hundreds of landless families in coastal
Gondamara union of Banshkhali upazila against the proposed coal-fired power plant of S Alam Group.

Apart from purchasing about 655 acres of privately owned land for the coal plant, the group has demarcated
several hundred acres of khas (state-owned) land in Gondamara.

So far we have completed registration of about 655 acres of land and the process for another 200 acres is
ongoing. Besides, there is khas land in the area which we didn't need to buy from anybody. Yet we
compensated people following written agreements, Subrata Bhowmik, executive director of S Alam Group,
told The Daily Star on Monday.

He, however, didn't go into details about the compensation or the agreements.

A document of Banshkhali land office in Chittagong shows the group wants as much as 5,000 acres of land in
five mouzas of Gondamara union.

After the group sought permission for the land purchase, the land office last year conducted a survey and gave
information to the group about total land resources in Gondamara.

Two land officials reported to the then assistant commissioner (land) that the 5,000 acres in the five mouzas --
Gondamara, East Boroghona, West Boroghona, Char Boroghona and Alokdia -- include 1,731 acres of khas
land.

Hundreds of landless families have been living on khas land in the areas since the pre-Independence era. On a
large portion of the land, they have been farming salt and fish.

The number of such families would be more than 3,000, according to local public representatives.

Moulvi Ferdous, member of No 1 Pashchim Boroghona ward, said around 400 landless families of his area
live on khas land along the Wapda embankment near the sea shore.
Apart from these landless people, over 30 thousand people of the union are directly involved in salt and fish
farming on khas land.

Though S Alam Group says it has only bought some 650 acres, you can see pillars set up by them on a large
portion of the land, said Abdul Malek, general secretary of Gondamara Union Bachao Andolon, a platform of
the anti-coal plant movement.

Talking to this newspaper on Monday, he said there has been a sense of uncertainty among locals, especially
those living on Khas land, as they have no clear idea about how much land S Alam Group would buy.

Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) M Shamsuzzaman said they don't need to know how much land a person or a
private company purchases privately.

Assistant Commissioner (Land) Habibul Hasan said he just joined the office on Monday and he is still in the
dark about this issue.

Half of the union doesn't have power supply, yet most of the locals are against the project because they are in
fear of losing habitats and livelihoods, said Liakat Ali, a former union parishad chairman of Gondamara.

They are really scared, said Liakat, also convenor of the Committee to Protect Habitat and Graveyard that
initially led the movement.

The government should build the power plant in a new char [shoal] where no people live, he said, urging the
prime minister to take necessary step in this regard.

According to him, about 50 thousand people live in Gondamara union and the number of houses would be
around 10 thousand.

Source: http://www.thedailystar.net/backpage/khas-land-people-wary-eviction-1209856
The last days of an ecology
When we made our way to the intra-division bus terminal in Chittagong city, it was just after dawn. At
the counter, there was a small line of people looking to book their tickets early. At the front of the
queue, the person behind the counter kept yawning midway through sorting out tickets. Gondamara
union, Banshkhali, I said.

He adjusted himself in his seat. Gondamara? Okhane to manush ke martese. (They're killing people
there).

It was an ominous start to a long trip towards the westernmost part of the Chittagong division,
Gondamara union in Banskhali upazila. Over time it became clear that Gondamara union was not only
incredibly disconnected from the rest of the upazila and the greater Chittagong area, it was also one of
the most vulnerable places in the country to cyclones and tidal flooding. When hurricanes formed in the
Bay of Bengal make their way towards the land, a frequented route is right through Gondamara union.
When cyclone Sidr hit the coast, Gondamara union suffered the heaviest damage in terms of flooding,
deaths and destruction of crops and houses. While Sidr was a very large cyclone formationone of the
largest to hit Bangladesheven weaker cyclonic winds have caused extensive damage to the area. On
May 20, 2016, cyclone Roanu made landfall and Gondamara became one of the worst hit areas in the
country. The storm caused embankments to flood and destroyed roads, houses and salt farms in the
area. It has been estimated that several million taka worth of salt and fish were damaged by the cyclone.

The residents of Gondamara, however, were going through a crisis long before the cyclone had struck.
The Chinese firm SEPCOI, in partnership with S. Alam Group, had been given permission to build two
coal-fired power plants right at the cusp of the Bay of Bengal, in Gondamara union. On December 19,
2013, the Bangladeshi conglomerate S. Alam group signed an agreement with SEPCOII Electric Power
Construction Corporation of China to set up coal-fired power plants in Chittagong with a capacity of
1320 megawatts. Afterwards, S. Alam began identifying possible areas for the construction of the power
plants before finally deciding on Gondamara union in Banshkhali as the final location for their power
plants. S. Alam group purchased 655 acres of land on the coast of Gondamara for the two 660 megawatt
power plants.

On April 4, 2016 Banshkhali witnessed the worst tragedy in a coal-related protest since the protests in
Jharkhand, India in 2012. Four protesters were killed as police and cadres met the protesters with
bullets and tear gas (The Daily Star, April 5, 2016). Locals allege many wrongdoings in the way S. Alam
acquired the land. Their main objections include falsehood while purchasing the land, not paying the
entire amount promised and, above all, not letting the locals know until much later that the land was for
a coal-fired power plant. They point to their shrimp hatcheries, their large fishing projects and their salt
farms and logically claim that all of these practices stand to be negatively impacted by the coal plant.
Over time, the claims were repeated with growing resignation as Gondamara union slowly became the
new frontier of state-sanctioned corporate exploitation. Media coverage of the issue has been truly
indicative of the corporate loyalties and disappearing ethics of large newspapers and television stations.
But even when there has been coverage, the true extent of the potential ramifications of the power
plant has been overlooked.

Understanding people as ecology

We spent a few days in Gondamara after the protests had begun as part of an archiving mission for
Center For Bangladesh Studies (CBS). Over time, it became evident that there were two Gondamaras,
figuratively speaking. There was a Gondamara to the east and a Gondamara to the West, both sides
divided by the embankment that cyclone Roanu had destroyed. Most of the media coverage remained
restricted to the east where the landed gentry and Liakat Ali, the BNP politician, resided.

On the other side of the broken dam, the reality was entirely different. It took us quite a while to
traverse through the mud and broken paths of what was once the barrier that separated the large,
lucrative fishing projects from the sea water. We were essentially crossing over to the area where the
power plant was being constructed, although the storm and the protests had momentarily halted the
construction. There, we encountered men, women and children all busy wading through the waves.
They were catching small shrimp hatchlings and small fish that swam up to the shore. On the coast,
there was a large canopy of tamarisk (jhau) trees which formed the last barrier to winds and tidal surges
coming towards Gondamara. We could still see the places where the trees had been uprooted by the
wind. The locals said they cleared the area from uprooted trees after the storm, which had cleaned up
most of the damage.

The dynamics of this coastal population were strikingly different from the residents further inland.
Women, children and men all carried out their work next to each other. They rested, chatted and ate
their lunch under the shade of the trees before going back to work. They supplied the hatchlings to
traders inland who then supplied it to large shrimp farms. They spent their lives next to the ocean and
were in sync with every transition of a wave. Their fishing of crabs, shrimp and small fish is all done by
manual tools, which makes sure there isn't overfishing, or overpopulation of one species. Put simply,
they formed an integral part of the coastal ecology, they kept it safe and clean, they survived on it and in
many ways, it survived on them.

More than any cyclone ever could, the power plant in Gondamara poses a major threat to the balanced
ecology of the region and to all its inhabitants. Conventional coal-fired power plants, which make water
boil to generate steam that activates a turbine, have an efficiency of about 32 percent. Supercritical (SC)
and ultra-supercritical (USC) power plants operate at temperatures and pressures above the critical
point of water, i.e. above the temperature and pressure at which the liquid and gas phases of water
coexist in equilibrium, at which point there is no difference between water gas and liquid water. This
results in higher efficienciesabove 45 percent. Supercritical (SC) and ultra -supercritical (USC) power
plants require less coal per megawatt-hour, leading to lower emissions (including carbon dioxide and
mercury), higher efficiency and lower fuel costs per megawatt.

Globally, the average efficiency of coal-fired generation is 33 percent HHV (higher heating value) basis or
35 percent LHV (lower heating value) basis. In a survey of countries worldwide, the average three-year
(20092011) efficiency of coal-fired electric generating fleets ranged from a low of 26 percent in India to
a high of 41 percent in France. It is difficult to estimate the exact percentage of energy that would be
effectively used by SS Power Ltd without knowing the kind of coal to be imported and the types of
technologies to be used both in the pre and post-heating process. The only relevant bit of information
provided by S. Alam in this case has been that to mitigate pollution, the project will construct a 90-
storey chimney system, according to Abdul Hanna, assistant manager of the project.

Regardless of the kind of technology and coal to be utilised, there are certain solid and non-solid
emissions that will take place due to the operations of the power plant. These include, but are not
limited to: (i) Sulfur dioxide, which causes acid rain, damages crops, forests, and soils, and acidifies lakes
and streams. A typical coal plant with emissions controls, including flue gas desulfurisation (smokestack
scrubbers), emits 7,000 tons of SO2 per year; (ii) nitrous oxides, which causes ground level ozone, or
smog, which can burn lung tissue, exacerbate asthma, and make people more susceptible to chronic
respiratory diseases. A typical coal plant with emissions controls, including selective catalytic reduction
technology, emits 3,300 tons of NOx per year; (iii) mercury, a toxic heavy metal that causes brain
damage and heart problems. Just 1/70th of a teaspoon of mercury deposited on a 25-acre lake can
make the fish unsafe to eat' (iv) carbon dioxide, which is the leading contributor of greenhouse gases; (v)
fly ash, which can cause chronic bronchitis, aggravated asthma, and premature death, as well as haze
obstructing visibility. Other discharges may include lead, arsenic and carbon monoxide.

In coal power plants with once-through cooling systems, once the 70 to 180 billion gallons of water have
cycled through the power plant (for a typical 600-megawatt plant), they are released back into the lake,
river, or ocean. This water is hotter (by up to 20-25 F) than the water with which it is mixed, creating
"thermal pollution" that can decrease fertility and increase heart rates in fish.

All of this is by now common knowledge to those who have been campaigning so long against the
Rampal coal power plant near the Sundarbans. There has not been a word about in months about
Banshkhali. The story goes that Sundarbans protects us from cyclones; it is a national heritage and its
beauty is unparalleled. We must not let it be destroyed. It seems more important to protest Rampal
than Banshkhali, perhaps because the centre (urban, middle-class) has more to lose in the former than
the latter. With the Sundarbans, we lose a national heritage with which we feel a sense of belonging
that beautiful place in our pictures and our textbooks.
Mariam, a fisherwoman, invited us to her house and made a meal for us. She kept smiling as she spoke
about her children, her own work and the rebuilding after the storm. She spoke of the ocean with a
sense of familiarity and respect that I could not understand. She spoke of the power plant with fierce
anger and pain. Her mother-in-law and sister sat next to her as she entertained her guests. From the
other side of the room, the kids peered in. Mariam handed them a couple of biscuits.

By 2020, when the power plant is operational, it is likely that Mariam and her family will no longer be in
the west of Gondamara. It is also likely that the complex and sustainable ecology that we saw will no
longer exist. It is unlikely that such beautiful ecologies will be able to survive the country's aggressive
development agenda. Is that not important enough for a protest?

Source: http://www.thedailystar.net/star-weekend/the-last-days-ecology-1414231
4 killed in clash over setting up power plant
At least four persons were killed and 30 others injured yesterday in a clash between law enforcers and
locals in Banshkhali upazila of Chittagong over installation of a coal-based power plant, said police.

The dead were identified as Anwarul Islam, 44, and his elder brother Mortuza Ali, 50, Zaker Ahmed, 50,
and Md Zaker, 50, from Gondamara union, said Habibur Rahman, additional superintendent of police,
Chittagong District (South).

Of them, Md Zaker was declared dead after he was taken to Chittagong Medical College Hospital.

There was a bullet mark in Zaker's abdomen, said Md Aminul Huq, a doctor who attended the victim.

The bodies of the other three were kept at Banshkhali Police Station, ASP Habibur told our Chittagong
correspondent.

Locals, however, claimed that the number of deaths was higher.

CMCH sources said six of the injured -- Mujibur Rahman, Ansarullah, Md Zahir, Abdul Khaleq, Md Abu
and Md Motaleb -- were admitted to the hospital with bullet wounds.

Police said the administration imposed a ban on gathering (section 144) at Hajipara School field in
Gondamara union around 3:00pm yesterday after two rival groups announced that they would hold
rallies at the same venue in the afternoon -- one in support of installation of a power plant by S Alam
Group and the other against it.

On information that the two rival groups took position at the spot for holding rallies, a team of 25 to 30
policemen went to the spot around 3:30pm, said ASP of Satkania Cirlce AKM Emran Bhuiyan, who was at
the spot during the clash.

As soon as police reached the field, several hundred people opposing installation of a power plant
attacked police with brickbats and locally made weapons, and then opened fire. Police retreated, but
the locals again swooped on them, prompting the law enforcers to fire shots at the mob in self-
defence, said Emran.

He said 11 police personnel, including the officer-in-charge of Banshkhali Police Station, were wounded
by stray bullets during the clash.

However, Md Jamir Hossain Kader, a witness to the incident, claimed the protesters were unarmed, and
no shots were fired on police.

"When the unarmed people tried to hold a rally, police turned up there and fired shots without any
provocation, causing casualties."

Later, an infuriated mob tried to block the road when police were leaving the spot but there was no
attack on police, he added.

Arif Ullah, chairman of Gondamara union parishad, told The Daily Star that tension was prevailing in the
area for the last one month over setting up of a power plant by S Alam Group.

Around three days ago, some people from S Alam Group visited the spot. As they were inspecting the
site, they came under attack from villagers who opposed the plant's installation. A case was filed with
Banshkhali Police Station over the incident, and six to seven people were arrested early today, he
added.

The opposing group led by ex-union parishad chairman and BNP leader Liakat Ali decided to hold a rally
to protest yesterday's arrest and also plant's installation, while Awami League men led by local AL unit
president Shamshul Alam Master announced a plan to hold a counter-rally in support of setting up the
plant, he said.

Giving his account of the clash, Arif said that at one stage, locals hurled brickbats at police, but he didn't
know whether locals opened fire on the law enforcers.

Talking to The Daily Star last night, Deputy Commissioner of Chittagong Mesbah Uddin said a one-
member committee comprising Additional District Magistrate Mominur Rashid was formed to
investigate the incident.
It was asked to submit a report within a week, he added.

ASP Habibur said a case would soon be filed over the incident.

Meanwhile, BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia slammed the government for the killing of five people in a
police attack in Chittagong.

In a statement, she demanded that the government form a judicial probe body to identify the culprits
and give them exemplary punishment.

Despite repeated attempts, The Daily Star couldn't reach Mohammed Saiful Alam, chairman and
managing director of S Alam Group, for comments.

On condition of anonymity, a senior official of the group said, This issue concerns the police. They
imposed section 144 We have nothing to say about it.

In December 2013, S Alam Group, one of the fastest growing local companies, struck an agreement with
SEPCO3 Electric Power Construction Corporation of China to set up a coal-fired power plant in
Banshkhali.

On February 16 this year, the government signed power purchase agreements with two private joint
ventures led by S Alam Group to buy electricity at Tk 6.61 per kilowatt-hour from two projects with
power generation capacity of 1,224MW.

SS Power-I Ltd and SS Power-II Ltd -- both joint ventures of S Alam Group -- and SEPCO3 Electric Power
and HTG of China will set up the power plant by November 2019.

The project will require an investment of $2.4 billion of which $1.75 billion will come from Chinese
lenders. The plant is being implemented on a 600-acre site.

Source: http://www.thedailystar.net/frontpage/3-killed-30-injured-clash-over-power-plant-1204543
 USTICE FOR THE
BANSHKHALI PEOPLE
A GLOBAL MESSAGE TO THE PRIME MINISTER OF BANGLADESH: CANCEL THE 1320 MW
COAL PLANT IN CHITTAGONG
We, the advocates for environment, climate and human rights, are deeply shocked to learn about the
humanitarian crisis the people of Gandamara Union under Banshkhali Upazilla (sub-district) of
Chittagong have currently been experiencing since the 4th of April of this year.

Being the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, we are pretty sure that you are well aware of the current crisis
of the coastal people who depend on harvesting salt and shrimp cultivation for survival.

This humanitarian crisis primarily ensued when the local police fired on and the thugs belonging to your
party attacked the people protesting against the deceitful, and in many cases, forceful purchase of
privately-owned and khas (government owned) lands in the area by S. Alam Company. On that day the
Boshot Vita Rokhkha Committe (Committee to Protect Households) organised a protest meeting and on
that protest gathering police and local goons attacked and killed four people and left hundreds injured.

As you know S. Alam is a private limited company which has been constructing an ecologically harmful
two coal-driven power plants in the area with an individual capacity of producing 1320 MW of
electricity. The said company initially gave a false impression to the local residents that they would set
up textile mill and agricultural industry in the area and promised to create more employment
opportunities.

In support of the company, the local land office in their report even confirms that only 150 households
are located in the concerned area falling under Gondamara, West Boroghona and East Boroghona
Mouzas. However actual number of the households in the area is 47-times more. In Gandamara Union
alone, there are one high school, 11 primary schools, six madrasas, and four kindergartens and 45,748
people are living. Accordingly the local land office recommended the local administration to allow the
company to buy privately owned land and lease out the khas land (governed owned land). The local land
office eventually approved it to buy 3000 acres of land.
Since the protest meeting of April 2016, your government has reportedly become more repressive and
violent, though it initially promised to conduct an inquiry into the killing. The local police have now been
continuously raiding the area to arrest the local leaders of the Boshot Vita Rokhkha Committee and even
sometimes resorting to open fire on the local people. They are not even sparing the domestic animals. In
one such incident, the local police, while arresting 70 years old ailing father in absence of his son who
has actually mobilised the movement, swooped on the local people and opened fire injuring at least 19
people and one domestic animal. Sadly enough, the consistent crack down and harassment by the local
police has now resulted in the disruption of their normal livelihood. They are not even being able to sell
their salt in the market which they have harvested.

The recent cyclonic storm called Roanu added further insult to injury as your government and the local
administration appear to have gone bizarre to quell the movement in connivance with S. Alam Group of
Companies. Because of the constant fear of being arrested, the local people could not go to the cyclone
shelter homes on the eve of Roanu. The local police even set up at least eight check posts to arrest them
whoever would try to reach the shelter homes for safety. So they forced them to stay back at home
even during the cyclone. The devastating storm caused an economic loss of an estimated amount of BDT
100 million to the local people as their salt submerged in the water. To utter dismay and surprise, your
government and the local administration have not yet sent any relief in the aftermath of Roanu in this
particular area.

We are now convinced that that the state is solely responsible for the humanitarian crisis as it has been
in a mission from the beginning to aid the S. Alam Group to construct the coal-driven power plants in
the area. It is also evident from the actions of the armed forces and local administration in response to
the protest movement.

The controversial coal plants are being built on a forcefully-acquired coastal 600-acre land by the S.
Alam Group of Bangladesh which is allegedly a close ally of the ruling party. The company actually signed
an agreement with two Chinese corporations: SEPCOIII Electric Power and HTG back in 2013 to construct
the plants. Unfortunately, it has not conducted any Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) which is a
legal and obligatory requirement for setting up a power plant.

Given the existing humanitarian crisis at Bashkhali of Chittagong, we cannot remain silent and sit idle.
The local people living in the coastal region of the country are already bearing the brunt of climate-
induced disasters. Now they are being further pushed into a death trap and poverty because of the
planned coal projects.

We, citizens of the world, united in ending the dirty coal regime and beginning a new age of a
sustainable and affordable, renewable and clean energy and an alternative development path.
We also stand united in solidarity with the people of Bangladesh and all communities resisting the
hazardous and fatal operation of these projects.

We declare and uphold the rights of all peoples of Bangladesh struggling against land-grabbing and
state-enforced violence, and support the people who are committed to sustainable environment, clean
energy, and the right to assembly and freedom of expression.

We condemn and demand that the government officials immediately cancel the construction and
operation of the controversial power plants; form an independent committee to investigate the killing
and repression by the local police and the thugs.

We also call upon the S. Alam Group to shun violence and their reliance on the local thugs and gracefully
leave the area.

We strongly demand justice for the lost lives in Banshkhali, Chittagong.

Signatories:

Abibiman Foundation (Ghana)

Biofuelwatch, UK/US

Botswana Climate Change Network (Botswana)

Center for Environment/FOE Bosnia

Coal Action Network (UK)

Coalition against Land Grabbing (CALG) - Philippines

CT Progressives (USA)

Earthlife Africa-Johannesburg (South Africa)

Fossil Free Northwestern (USA)

Greenpeace International

Leave it in the Ground Initiative) (International/Mexico)

Les Amis de la Terre/Friends of the Earth France

Live Zero Waste (USA)

Mines, Minerals & People (India)

National Youth Network on Climate change (Malawi)

South Durban Community Environmental Alliance (South Africa)

For more background information see press releases below:

Locals were deliberately kept confused over Banshkhali power plant, says probe report:
http://bdnews24.com/bangladesh/2016/05/10/locals-were-deliberately-kept-confused-over-
banshkhali-power-plant-says-probe-report

Banshkhali Coal Power Plant Propaganda and Reality: http://www.thedailystar.net/op-

ed/politics/banshkhali-coal-power-plant-propaganda-and-reality-1208137

Banshkhali locals vow to protect land:

http://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2016/apr/06/banshkhali-locals-vow-protect-land

Anu: Police have made Banshkhali a prison:

http://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2016/may/30/anu-police-have-made-banshkhali-prison

Scrap Banshkhali project by Saturday:

http://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2016/apr/08/banshkhali-people-set-ultimatum

Source: https://intercontinentalcry.org/justice-banshkhali-people/
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http://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...

Noting that a thermal power plant near human habitat and on agricultural land was not viable, a
Central green panel has refused to give approval to the National Thermal Power Corporation
(NTPC) to set up a 1320 MW coal-based project in Madhya Pradesh.
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/ntpcs-coalbased-project-in-mp-turned-
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Beijing, where pollution averaged more than twice Chinas national standard last year, will close
the last of its four major coal-fired power plants next year.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...




Noting that a thermal power plant near human habitat and on agricultural land was not viable, a
Central green panel has refused to give approval to the National Thermal Power Corporation
(NTPC) to set up a 1320 MW coal-based project in Madhya Pradesh.
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/ntpcs-coalbased-project-in-mp-turned-
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