BNP Standing Committee member Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan on Thursday commented that $13 billion, spent for the construction of Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant (RNPP), went down the drain. 

He made the comment at a discussion meeting titled “Ignoring the threat of environment and human disaster, construction of the corrupted Rooppur nuclear power plant, a national failure”.

BNP's media cell organized the meeting at Nasrul Hamid auditorium of Dhaka Reporters Unity on Thursday.

They (Awami League) have no ethical right to lead this country. They are making mistakes one by one. Their latest mistake is this RNPP, said the BNP leader. 

“I humbly request this government – you should move away from playing with this fire.”

He also added that if the $13 billion spent on Rooppur nuclear power plant is not wasted, there is no matter of surprise that the environmental disaster that may be caused in Bangladesh will be worth $130 billion. 

“We have to be visionary. We have to make decisions in terms of today's science, our understanding of technology, our understanding, today's research. Bangladesh will make a mistake if it decides today about the situation of sixty years ago. I will say that the decision taken by the state is extremely imprudent,” said Moyeen Khan. 

“I was supposed to be the biggest supporter of nuclear power in Bangladesh today. But why am I speaking against it today?...As a result of the nuclear reaction, the health of billions of people in the country may be affected. It can also destroy the ecological balance of the world.”

“People did not have that knowledge 50-60 years ago. Today, as a nuclear scientist, I am saying strongly that if we want to save billions of people in Bangladesh from this terrible, environment-destroying path, we have to move back from this project,” he further added.