Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant
Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant should bear the name of Dr. MA Wazed Miah and may be named as follows: Dr. MA Wazed Miah Nuclear Centre. My proposal has a valid ground since it was Dr. MA Wazed Miah who dreamed of the project after the emergence of Bangladeshand did the ground work for it to be implemented before handing the file to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.Dr.MA Wazed Miah was a nuclear scientist.
He wrote a number of texts in physics and some books on political history. He was a former chairman of the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission and husband of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. He was also dedicated to the role of a student leaderwhen Bengali nationalist movement climaxed in the 1960s.
It was early 90s of the last century, when I was working in the news section of the then Dainik Bangla, the esteemed vernacular daily newspaper of Bangladesh. I worked there as a News Editor (National News). The news of the entire country was under my supervision. At the same time, I was involved in some social works for the betterment of our home district Pabna as well as North Bengalas a whole. Additionally, I was the secretary general of the North Bengal Welfare Association.
Members of the association always requested me in meetings to write something for the development of our home district Pabna and the neglected northern part of the country. North Bengal had always remained, and still is,a neglected region compared to the eastern part of Bangladesh. There are few industries, universities, healthcare facilities, roads and highways in North Bengal. The farmers do not get optimum price for their products. Besides, there islack of proper communication with cities, especiallywith capital Dhaka.
By the constant request of the members of the organisation, I used to write on some unfinished projects taken up by the then Pakistan government, which were abandoned for indefinite period of time. In this backdrop,once I invited Dr. Wazed Miah to deliver a lecture on the problem and prospect of North Bengal at a meeting of the organisation. It may be mentioned here that he belongs to Rangpur district.
There was a big gathering in our North Bengal Welfare Association office. I requested Dr.Wazed Miah to speak a few words about Rooppur Nuclear Power Project, which was taken up by the then president of Pakistan Ayub Khan in the early 1960s. But due to corruptions of the project authorities, it was abandoned at one point.Some infrastructures such as project office, staff quarters, inner roads,etc.were constructed butlocal goons and anti-social elements were using the project area for their misdeeds.
Accepting my request, Dr. MA Wazed Miah gave a valuable speech on the necessity of the nuclear project in Rooppur. This was in the late 1990s. As a News Editor of the Dainik Bangla, I made sure the news of the programme was published accompanied by his picture. But late at night, some pro-Awami League newsmen who hailed from eastern part of the country dropped the picture of Dr.Wazed Miah but published his speech with due importance.
Next day I went to my office according to my schedule time at 1:00pm. When I entered the office some people told me that Dr.Wazed Miah rang me several times from the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission. I rushed to the atomic energy commission. When I reached there , agate man came to me and asked whether I was Mr.Mahtab Uddin? I replied in the affirmative.
The gentleman saluted me and told me that Dr.Wazed Miah was waiting for me. I entered his office room and I saw he was taking toast biscuits with black tea. Seeing me he cheerfully said, 'Come on! Mahtab, there is a good news for you. Dr.Wazed Miah told me that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, on that very morning, at breakfast table, asked him about the file of the Rooppur Atomic Energy Project.
Dr.Wazed Miah said to the prime minister that if she was interested he could send the file to her office next day.The file of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant began to move with the sincere supportfrom Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. And finally it reached its destination of implementation.
Therefore, the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant should be named after Dr. MA Wazed Miah, a brilliant son of the soil, a celebrated scientist, a writer, and above all, a dream merchant who tried to establish Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant.
It may be mentioned here that as a newsman I played a role to establish Pakshi EPZ, Pabna railway link, excavation of the River Isamoti and Aricha-Kazirhat ferry link through my writings in the Dainik Bangla. Anwar Kamal Minto, Ishwardi correspondent of the Dainik Bangla, helped me gather some information on the said project.
The writer may be reached at 01763308264, or
[email protected]
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