Demonstration of IFC in NY in demand, “to stop Tipaimukh DAM by India”.
On 04 Dec 2011 Bangladeshis living abroad in New York and Washington have organized a demonstration against Tipaimukh Dam under the leadership of Atiqur Rahman Eusufzai Salu, Chairman, International Farakka Committee (IFC). Bangladeshi students, engineers, doctors and businessmen participated in this demonstration. They raised their voice in slogans calling the conscientious people from all over the world to come forward and take part in the movement "to save Bangladesh Rivers", also called the “World Bank must stop funding and supporting the Indian water aggression.
The demonstration was led by Mr. Atiqur Rahman Khan Eusufzai Salu, Chairman, IFC NY, Inc. Among others spoke were, Mr. Sayed Tipu Sultan, Secretary General of IFC, Mohammed Saleh, Engineer Harish Ahmed and Engineer Dr Golam Farid Aktar, advisors of IFC. They handed over a memorandum to the Vice President of World Bank. The demonstration was held during mid-day.
ii. Dhaka on 11 December 2011 at the Press Club Auditorium
Press Conference of IFC and Bangladesh Farakka Committee in front of Dhaka National Press Club, in demand, “to stop Tipaimukh DAM by India” on 11 Dec 2011. IFC and Bangladesh Farakka Committee in Dhaka, Bangladesh have jointly organized a press conference against Tipaimukh Dam , where, Prof. JU Ahmad, President, BangladeshFarakka Committee (IFC) chaired, renowned Language Movement leader, Mr. Abdul Matin Bhai spoke and people from all walks of life, students, engineers, doctors and businessmen participated. Among others who spoke were, Mr. Awlad Hossain Khan, Senior Vice-President of IFC, Mr. Sayed Tipu Sultan, Secretary General of IFC and Advisors of Bangladesh-IFC Mr. Zafarullah Chowdhury, Prof. SS Ullah spoke. They raised their voice in slogans calling the conscientious people from all over the world to come forward and take part in the movement "to save Bangladesh Rivers".
iii. Dhaka on 25 April 2011 at the CIRDAP Auditorium
The International Workshop Organizing Committee and International Farakka Committee, Inc. NY (IFC) jointly organized an International Workshop, in demand of Regional cooperation for water management from the Himalayan Common Rivers, entitled, “Sustainable Management of Himalayan Rivers” held in the CIRDAP Auditorium, Dhaka on 25 April 2011.
iv. Chilmari Declaration 2005 Details
The International Farakka Committee (IFC) in a 15-point Chilmari Declaration (CD) on Friday, 4 March 2005 in Chilmari, Kurigram district of Bangladesh, strongly protested the India’s river-linking Project and vowed to resist it at any cost. The IFC also asked India to abandon the plan terming it as a weapon of mass destruction which plans to kill millions of people in Bangladesh including women and children.
The Chilmari declaration was read out in the grand rally held after the long march 2005 by Senior Assistant Secretary General of the IFC Mr. Mohammad Hossain Khan on the Brahmaputra bed at Chilmari River Port in Kurigram, Bangladesh. Hundreds of thousands of people from all walks of life from all over the country took part in the huge rally (see Huge Rally picture).
The speakers expressed their grave concern over the disastrous Indian plan for linking 37 common rivers and to divert water from those rivers in the upstream in the Uttar Pradesh, Rajstan, Gujrat, Hariyana, Daccan states.
As Indian River-link Project is being implemented by Indian Government by violating all the International Laws, regulations and conventions of river sharing. If India implements her river-linking project, in an adverse effect of which Bangladesh will turn into a desert within next few years, while water in the rivers will disappear and ground water level will go down, intrusion of saline water and increase of salinity in soil and groundwater, crops will not grow, ecology and bio-diversity will be destroyed and their will be no habitation.
As an aftermath of India’s Farakka dam has already created serious adverse effect on Bangladesh’s south-western region, threatening to extinct the Sundarbans, the world's largest mangrove forest and a heritage of mankind. It has already increased salinity as well as arsenic contamination in ground water.
