'Tipaimukh a death trap for us'-DR. AKBAR ALI KHAN

Expressing concern over Tipaimukh project, former finance advisor to the caretaker government Akbar Ali Khan on Saturday called the project a "death trap" for Bangladesh. "The environmental catastrophe that will be caused by Tipaimukh dam will be no less than a death trap for our country," Akbar Ali said at a round table conference at a city hotel. "The Tipaimukh issue should be discussed with the Indian government regardless of India's assurances." Akbar alleged that Tipaimukh hydroelectricity project is one of the steps in New Delhi's schemes to produce 98,000 MW electricity in northeast India. "The Indian government will go ahead with the project even if the Indians oppose it," Akbar said. He said Bangladesh should not compromise on this issue and urged the government to collect proper information about the project. "We hold both legal and moral standing, so we should not compromise," he said. Akbar also said Bangladesh does not even know the names of Indian government's 21 ongoing hydroelectricity projects on the Teesta River. "Our geological position will be altered if India continues to build dams," he said. According to Akbar, India is neither a friend nor an enemy of Bangladesh. The media had reported on Nov 19 that the Indian state of Manipur had signed contracts with several Indian government agencies to build the controversial Tipaimukh dam on the Barak River, which flows into Bangladesh as Surma. On Nov 22, New Delhi assured Dhaka that it would not take steps on the proposed hydropower plant that would have adverse impact on Bangladesh in the wake of media reports regarding India's signing of a promoter's agreement between India's state-owned NHPC Limited, Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam Limited and the state government of Manipur. The following day, BNP chief Khaleda Zia sent a letter to Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh, urging him to conduct a joint survey before starting work on Tipaimukh dam and the hydroelectric power plant project. The Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh has responded to her letter on the Tipaimukh dam on Nov 24 but BNP has not yet published the contents of the letter. India's northeastern state Manipur recently signed an agreement with state-owned NHPC Ltd and Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam Ltd (SJVN) on Oct 22 to construct a 1,500MW Tipaimukh hydroelectric power project in Manipur. Earlier, foreign minister Dipu Moni welcomed the initiative of BNP to resolve the dispute, but also criticised for 'not taking any steps during BNP's tenure'. Detailing the government steps, the foreign minister said they had proposed for joint study on Tipaimukh project. The foreign minister quoting an aide-memoir sent by Indian authorities in May 2009 said, "This project (Tipaimukh project) does not have any component of irrigation … thus there is no point of water diversion." A section of environmentalists, both in Bangladesh and India, are opposed to the Tipaimukh project. According to them, the dam over the Barak River would significantly bring down flow of water in its tributaries Surma and Kurshiara in Bangladesh. On Friday, the Indian government has reiterated to the Prime minister Sheikh Hasina's advisors Gowher Rizvi and Mashiur Rahman that India would not take steps on the proposed project which would adversely affect Bangladesh and added that New Delhi was ready to hold discussion with Dhaka on the issue. BNP enforced a dawn-to-dusk shutdown in Sylhet regarding this issue on Dec 1.