The Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon (BAPA) has opposed the construction of Rabindra University’s permanent campus in Chalan Beel, warning it would cause severe ecological damage, block natural water flow, and adversely affect local communities. SM Mizanur Rahman, joint secretary of BAPA and member secretary of the “Save Chalan Beel Movement”, described the environmental importance of the wetland. “On one side of Chalan Beel is the Padma, on the other is the Jamuna. No construction permission should be granted in the beel under any form of pressure.”Prof Nur Mohammad Talukder said: “Rabindra University should have been established long ago. We want the university, but not at the expense of Chalan Beel -- the country’s largest grazing land, upon which hundreds of thousands depend.
