INTRODUCTION
In August 2010, an MOU was signed between Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) and India's state-owned company National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC). The project situated in Rampal, Bangladesh was designated to be completed by 2016. Bangladesh and India shared the implementation cost on a 50:50 equity basis. The remainder cost of 1.5 billion US dollars will be taken as loans from the banks by the Indian based company. Therefore, India is the majority share holder of the power station and India is entitles to receive a major benefit of power supply. Though, the plant has been situated in Bangladesh, India is said to be a part owner of the power station. The proposed project, on an area of over 1834 acres of land, is situated 14 kilometres north of the world's largest mangrove forest Sundarbans which is a UNESCO world heritage site.
A coal based power plant creates an alarming environmental pollution. The emission of toxic sulphur gases and nitrogen gases reduces the air quality in surrounding areas. It destroys the vegetation up to 50 kms from the place of the plant. Thus emission of hazardous gases will increase the local temperature. The result of the operation of the coal plant will give to a huge deposit of ash consisting of residue from heavy metals. Surely, the toxic heavy metals contained in this dumped ash will mixed with rain water and leached in to the ground and contaminated both ground and surface water the impact of which will not be limited to the plant site, rather, spreads through the rivers and cannels of the Sundarbans. This leads to the deforestation of the Mangrove forests situated exactly 14 kms north of the power station. The operation of this plant not only affects the atmospheric environment but also causes noise pollution. Sunderbans is classified as a heritage site as it is the worlds largest mangrove forest partly located in Bangladesh and in India. Construction of such a massive power plant will only lead to destruction of the Sunderbans. India being the chief funder of the plant has failed to take notice of its rich heritage which is also the home to the Bengali tigers. Thus it affects the food chain and causes pneumonia and other health hazards to local community.
The objective of the project is to analyse the pros and cons of the power plant. Also, to emphasize on India’s role in the construction of the power plant leading to mass destruction of the Mangrove forests.
India violating the law A power generating plant must satisfy the Environment impact assessment guidelines. An environmental impact assessment (EIA) is an assessment of the possible impacts that a proposed project may have on the environment, consisting of the environmental, social and economic aspects.The purpose of the assessment is to ensure that decision makers consider the environmental impacts when deciding whether or not to proceed with a project. EIA is the process of evaluating the biophysical change and impact up on the environment of a project such that this report influences major policy decisions.The NTPC and BPD companies entrusted The Center for Environmental and Geographic Information Services (CEGS) responsibility for conducting the Initial Environmental Examination (IEE) and EIA studies with the aim of obtaining Site Clearance Certificate and Environmental Clearance Certificate from Department of energy. The EIA report submitted laid down certain guideline. This project violates the Environmental impact assessment guidelines for coal-based thermal power plants. These guidelines, specifically mention that such projects should be outside a 25-kilometer radius from the outer periphery of any ecologically sensitive areas. However, the very basic location of this project i.e. adjacent to the sunderbans is in violation of the guidelines. A haphazard handling of the project has revealed the underlying political pressures to implement it at all costs.
This is very important to note that, ‘as coal based power plant creates serious environmental pollution, no country in the world usually gives permission to set up large coal based power plant within 20 to 25 km distance of forest, agricultural land and residential area’. According to the EIA, the distance of the proposed Rampal coal based power plant from the Sundarbans mangrove forest is 14 km, which they claim as a safe distance. But the EIA guideline manual for coal based thermal power plants prepared by the Indian Ministry of environment and forest in August 2010, clearly states that, the “locations of thermal power stations are avoided within 25 km of the outer periphery of the following: – metropolitan cities; – National park and wildlife sanctuaries; – Ecologically sensitive areas like tropical forest, biosphere reserve, important lake and coastal areas rich in coral formation…” That means Indian state owned NTPC is operating the Rampal project by violating its own principle and legal restrictions. Nevertheless, the Indian government is pushing for that. No company including the NTPC will be allowed to implement similar or much less disastrous project in India.
Political Deception
Rampal power plantis a joint partnership between India's state owned National Thermal Power Corporation and Bangladesh Power Development Board. The joint venture company is known as Bangladesh India Friendship Power Company (BIFPC). The contract has been signed by India and Bangladesh, therefore, though the plant is situated in Bangladesh, India is in holistic control and regulation of the plant. The contract is non-transparent and unequal First, the whole process of conceiving the project, selection of the area and the terms and conditions of the project are non-transparent, irrational and biased against Bangladesh interest. Power generation will also not be economically feasible. The source of finance and ownership will matter the most in this type of project’s sustainability. Indian based NTPC, is the major financial supporter of the project and it would take the lead in management and operation of the power plant and it would be operated like an independent private power plant selling electricity to PDB. Though, the plant will become a major source of generation and electricity, India has failed realize that Sunderbans which partly lacated in the West Bengal will be massively affected. Rampal power plant will not only threaten the biodiversity of Sundarbans but as a result of the deforestation the entire environment will be vulnerable to storm, cyclone, and other natural disasters. The motive of both the countries earning profits is in question. There is a high level of political deception inducing the rural community to surrender the lands forcefully. According to the chronology of events it would be clear that the EIA process was merely a sham, used as an instrument to rationalize a predetermined project. (1) Land acquisition order for this power plant was issued on 27 December 2010 more than two years before the EIA was done.
(2) Before the EIA was approved, the joint venture agreement to set up the power plant was signed between Indian company NTPC and Bangladeshi company PDB on 29 January 2012 .
(3) The EIA was published on January 2013 in the PDB website for public opinion. Experts and some concerned organizations submitted their opinion in due time, they rejected the EIA.
(4) A public consultation was arranged by PDB on 12 April 2013 . The experts, who were present there, identified serious problems with the EIA; they categorically rejected the EIA, and asked the government to stop all activities before another independent EIA is done.
(5) A week later of that rejection, two government representatives signed final agreement (on April 20, 2013 ), the Implementation Agreement (IA) and Power Purchase Agreement (PPA).
The motive of both the countries earning profits is in question. There is a high level of political deception inducing the rural community to surrender the lands forcefully. NTPC and PBD are focused on earning profits and have give minimal regard to the environmental impact.
ISSUES ADDRESSED
There are two basic concerns regarding the Rampal power project. Firstly, the project had a tremendous amount of negative impact on the environment. It causes pollution and deterioration of the mangrove forests. However, it will become the largest source of power generation supplying electricity to major part of India. Thus it puts the question of right to development as against the right to environment. 1. Negative Impact on the Environment
Sunderbans is the worlds largest mangrove forest which is declared as heritage site by the UNESCO. The Sundarban is spread into two countries, Bangladesh and India The Sundarbans is unprecedented in biological diversity and wildlife resources too. The forest has been playing unparallel protective and productive functions. In addition to its role as natural safeguard, it is also the single largest source of forest produce in the country. The Sundarbans also plays an important role in creating economic value in the national economy and employment creating opportunities for the millions. It is a major source of livelihood for fisherman as the rivers originating from Ganges flow into the Sunderbans. It is also said to be the native for several biodiversity flora and fauna. 2.1. Unlawful acquisition of land
“Locations of thermal power stations are avoided within 25 km of the outer periphery of the following:
– metropolitan cities;
– National park and wildlife sanctuaries;
– Ecologically sensitive areas like tropical forest, biosphere reserve, important lake and coastal areas rich in coral formation;”
However, the location is deemed to be 14km north of the sunderbans which is noted to be with an unlawful objective.
1.2 Emission of Gases
During the operational stage, the emission of toxic gases such as sulphur oxide and nitrogen increases. The site has been a critical and sensitive rural area, thus it leads to a high possibility of deforestation.
1.3 Water pollution
The plant will need to import 4.72 million tons of coal per year. This massive freight will need about 59 ships each having 80,000-ton capacity that would be taken to the port on the bank of Poshur river. The 40 kilometers from the port to the plant cuts through the Sundarbans and it includes the river flow path. Environmentalists say these coal-carrying vehicles are not often covered as they scatter large amounts of fly ash, coal dust and sulfur, and other toxic chemicals are released through the entire life of the project. The predictions made by environment and ecology experts are that the plant will release various toxic gases such as carbon monoxide, oxides of nitrogen and sulphur dioxide, thereby putting the surrounding areas and, most importantly, Sundarban at grave risk
1.4 Pollution from ash
This ash will contain many heavy metals, including arsenic, lead. Ash deposits in the surroundings of the mangrove forests. Thus it leads to deterioration of the forest and affects the food chain and bio diversity.
1.5 Health hazards “Another major health risk involves cooling tower. With world experience, different studies suggest that bacterial contamination of cooling tower may cause outbreak of pneumonia in the surrounding community. 2. Right to development
The targeted production of 1320 mw electricity can be used for industry, agriculture, and residential use. It may lead to higher economic growth of the country, but at the expense of lost livelihood opportunities and economic growth of the Sundarbans region. The Rampal power plant in Bangladesh invokes the classic battle of development versus environment which is a mainstream thought in the developing world. But with rapid advances in clean energy, that debate is being made more and more redundant. Decentralized, democratically owned renewable energy is already showing us the folly of pursuing centralized thermal power. Further, Environment planning management has been implemented which mitigates the damage caused to the environment.
Conclusion
t is now clear that the IEE and EIA studies of CEGIS were aimed only to support the anti-people and environmentally disastrous project to go. The EIA advocates that, the project is taken following the Environment Conservation Rules of 1997(!). The workshops and consultations with the local people were staged and imposed. It states, lots of job shall be created; but does not state how many people will lose their livelihood with the change. It does not compare the disastrous effects on animal and environment with the proposed benefits. To calculate these effects on the basis of leasing money is utter deceiving (page 406). Thus, the EIA study cannot be accepted on the ground of people’s interest of this country.

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[ 1 ]. Analogous to the condition in Fayette Power Project, US. Huffington’s report 2010.
[ 2 ]. UNITED NATIONS EDUCATIONAL, SCIENTIFIC AND CULTURAL ORGANIZATION CONVENTION CONCERNING THE PROTECTION OF THE WORLD CULTURAL AND NATURAL HERITAGE: Sundarbans National Park (India) Document: WHC-02/CONF.202/17.
[ 3 ]. "Principle of Environmental Impact Assessment Best Practice." International Association for Impact Assessment. 1999.
[ 4 ]. EIA guidelines, august 1, 2011.
[ 5 ]. ‘Bangladesh Power Plant Struggle Calls for International Solidarity ‘by Chaitanya Kumar
[ 6 ]. Moshahida Sultana Ritu: “Rampal Coal-Fired Power Plant, Who gains, who loses?” June 11, 2013 .
[ 7 ]. Rampal Coal Fired Power Plant On Sundarbans: A Project Of Deception And Mass Destruction By Anu Muhammad19 September, 2013.
[ 8 ]. Rampal Coal Fired Power Plant On Sundarbans: A Project Of Deception And Mass Destruction By Anu Muhammad19 September, 2013.