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Thursday, June 11, 2009

Re: [ALOCHONA] Re: Govt seems to be undermining Tipaimukh danger



I think the problem is none of our governments (whether that is led by BAL, or BNP) had sincerely tried to work for the country so far. The party in power has always been looking after personal, extended family, and party interests; not the interest of the people or the country. That's why we rarely see long term major projects started off by one government to be carried out to completion by the next.
 
BAL is considered having strong ties with India and BNP is considered having that with Pakistan. India being a big power and almost surrounding Bangladesh geographically, it is only natural to have a close relationship with India for our own benefit (only if we have a government who really wants to look after our benefits), but not by giving away interests of Bangladesh! For political advantage, BNP and its allies will always keep portraying BAL as an "agent" to India, but reality is when BNP led government was in power they have done more for/with India (or did not stand up for Bangladesh when needed) than when BAL led government was in power last time. Pakistan being a weaker country as a nation and economy and also being away from Bangladesh geographically, is not really as important as India no matter how we want to play that politically. Although having good relationships with all countries will be beneficial to Bangladesh. For whatever reason, the sentiment of being aligned with Pakistan (by default that equates to anti-Indian) provides some benefit politically and BNP with its allies use that to get some political advantage.
 
No coming back to your posting. Assuming all the data are correct:
 
- While BNP led coalition government failed miserably to raise any issue with India regarding Tipaimukh, BAL also failed completely on its part as the opposition party at the same time.
- BNP and its coalition seems to be doing a good job as the opposition now raising issues regarding Tipaimukh although they failed to do their part when it was more important few years ago while they were in power.
- BAL government is doing a horrible job now with regards to Tipaimukh. While claiming we don't know enough and need to understand more (I agree but we need to rush), one of the ministers claiming benefits to Bangladesh from Tipaimukh (how can you know the benefits without knowing enough!).
 
We need a government who will stand for us and always work for the benefit of our country. We need an opposition party that will keep the government honest.
 
- mashuque


From: Shamim Chowdhury <veirsmill@yahoo.com>
To: alochona@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Sunday, June 7, 2009 9:43:52 PM
Subject: [ALOCHONA] Re: Govt seems to be undermining Tipaimukh danger

BNP-Jamaat alliance was in power when Indian government finalized Tipaimukh Hydro Electric Project in Manipur in 2003. The North Eastern Electric Power Corporation (neepco), the government agency entrusted with the responsibility of building power projects in the northeast, has been handed the project. In November 2005, it floated a global tender for the project. In July 2006, the pre-bid qualification of the tender for the first phase wasd opened. Initially Indian government budgeted five thousand crore for this project.

 

The ball was finally rolling from Indian side in 2003 while the BNP-Jamaat alliance government in Bangladesh was sleeping. Irresponsible, incompetent Khaleda government did not utter a single word about Tipaimukh from 2001 to 2006 while in power. It is obscure to believe India did not informed Bangladesh about their Tipaimukh project, therefore there is a possibility that BNP-Jamaat alliance gave a secret green signal to go ahead with this illegal unilateral decision and India took a chance on head bowing BNP-Jamaat government.

 

When all the unthinkable was happening with Indian unilateral decision only few miles from Bangladesh soil, two successive government, Khaleda-Nizami and Iazuddin-Fokhruddin failed to raise the issue with India and failed to inform people of Bangladesh about its danger.

 

People of Bangladesh learned about Tipaimukh Hydro Electric Project on river Barak, the second largest river in the region in Manipur as well as river Tuivai after Awami League led alliance came into power. For the month and half we have seen numerous seminar symposium making attempt to create awareness among common people as well as government.

 

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's government had already started bilateral talks with Indian counter part on Tipaimukh project. Government has rightly decided to form two-examination committee. Out of this two committee, one will comprise all party parliamentarians and the other will include technical experts. Both committees will visit proposed Tipaimukh Hydro Eclectic project as fact finding mission, from there report Bangladesh will make its case on how to place Bangladesh interest on Indian unilateral decision on Tipaimukh hydro electric project.

 

Interestingly, Khaleda-Nizami alliance government all off a sadden wakeup from their deep sleep and trying to  make some buzz ward for political reason against Tipaimukh project, the project that they gave secret green signal to Indian authority in 2003 selling the interest of Bangladesh for mere political gain.

 

The nation still vividly remembers, Khaleda Zia led her delegation to India on 26 to 28 May of 1992 to talk to her counter part P.V. Noroshima Rao then Indian Prime Minister. During this trip she forgot to raise the question about not getting due shares of water from Farraka Barrage. After coming back from the tour India , facing criticism from press then Prime Minister Khaleda Zia acknowledged that she forgot to raise the question with her Indian apart.

 

This is extremely sad for people of Bangladesh that Prime Minister Khaleda Zia can forget to raise a life and death question with Indian authority. Interestingly while Khaleda Zia forgot to raise the Farakka issue she signed a treaty with Indian government on June 26 1992 on Tinbigha corridor for 999 years lease. We know among many other problems Tinbigha is one of the thorns between India-Bangladesh relations, Khaleda getting a chance to be in power for three times could not resolve it.

 

We as a nation must find all facts about Tipaimukh Hydro Electric Multipurpose project before interest of Bangladesh is dashed out one more time. We must stand as a nation and not allow India to erect anything, which will be against the interest of Bangladesh . However, to do that we must first learn about all if and but about Tipaimukh project. I hope Khaleda Zia will disclose all facts about Tipaimukh projects and her government's actions and deeds with Indian government during her last stay in government 2001-2006. Nation need to know if there was any secret deal with Khaleda-Nizami, alliance government in 2003 before Indian government gave the final authorization on this project and formed The North Eastern Electric Power Corporation (neepco).

 

Sincerely,

Shamim Chowdhury

Maryland, USA


--- In alochona@yahoogroup s.com, Mahathir of BD <wouldbemahathirofbd @...> wrote:
>
> http://www.newagebd .com/2009/ may/28/edit. html
>
> Editorial
> Govt seems to be undermining
> Tipaimukh danger
> THE Awami League-led government, it increasingly seems, has somehow been convinced by its New Delhi counterparts that there is benefit for Bangladesh to be had from the construction of the Tipaimukh Dam/s on the river Barak. Ever since the Indian high commissioner disclosed late last week India’s plan to go ahead with the construction of the dam, at least three members of the cabinet said Dhaka would not oppose the project if it benefits Bangladesh. The commerce minister, Faruk Khan, as usual, came up with by far the strongest hint that the government may have been already convinced that dam could after all benefit, and not harm, Bangladesh, when he told journalists on Tuesday that ‘those who are talking too much against construction of the dam are talking without knowing anything…’ He did say the government ‘will soon send a delegation comprising experts and parliamentarians to see what is going on there and how it will benefit Bangladesh.’
> That is, however, hardly reassuring.
>    It would indeed be interesting to know who the commerce minister was accusing of ‘talking too much… without knowing anything’; after all, the individuals who have been at the forefront of the ever-intensifying wave of opposition to the Tipaimukh project are mostly experts with years of experience under their belts. Interestingly still, many of them are Indians. They are unanimous in their conclusion that the Tipaimukh Dam/s would wreak an environmental disaster of an unimaginable magnitude and adversely affect millions of people on either side of the Bangladesh-India border who rely on the Meghna river system for their livelihood. Needless to say, their conclusions are based on an ever-growing pile of scientific evidence.
>    The benefit that the government may be envisaging, i.e. import of electricity generated from the dam, could turn out to be a chimera. In an article published in New Age on May 21, Dr Solbam Ibotombi, who teaches earth sciences at Manipur University and is a staunch critic of the Tipaimukh project, writes that ‘the dam was originally conceived to contain the floodwater in the Cachar plain of Assam but, later on, emphasis has been placed on hydroelectric power generation, having an installation capacity of 1,500MW but only firm generation capacity of 412MW.’ If so is the case, what percentage of the 412MW of electricity the government expects to import from India, which is no less electricity- starved than Bangladesh, and at what cost? As argued by Ibotombi and other Indian experts, the cost involved here is not just the cost of electricity but the irreparable economic and environmental damage that the project is likely to cause.
>    When there is a growing body of scientific evidence as well as strong opposition within India against the Tipaimukh project, the argument put forth by the commerce minister and some of his colleagues, i.e. there may be benefit in the project for Bangladesh, can hardly be construed as being a product of naivety and inadequate knowledge. In fact, given the Indian government’s perceived predilection for the Awami League, it could very well be construed as the government’s willingness to submit to Delhi’s plans. Here, the credibility of the government is not at stake alone, the livelihood of millions of people in India and Bangladesh is as well. The ministers in question would surely have done a great service to the country and to themselves if they took the pains to gather the details of the dam project and also go through the scientific evidences that point at the potential economic and environmental damage that the Tipaimukh project would
> cause. If they had, they might have thought twice before suggesting that Bangladesh is likely to benefit from the project and that the critics of the project are ‘talking too much… without knowing anything’.
>
> Is there any army in the world that can win over 150 Millions people? Should we be afraid of any country?          
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