The programme was announced at a meeting of the leaders of the organisations at the office of Bangladesh Samajtantrik Dal (BSD) in the city yesterday, said a press release.

The leaders demanded of the government to strengthen the activities of Bangladesh Petroleum Exploration and Production Company Ltd (Bapex) and stop what they said the conspiracy of looting the gas in the name of tri-nation gas pipeline and investment by the Indian company TATA.

They also demanded that the supply of gas to Karnafuli Fertilizer Company (Kafco) at a cheap rate should be stopped and the businessmen, bureaucrats and political leaders including the state minister for power, energy and mineral resources involved in looting national resources should be brought to trial.

The leaders said the US company Occidental damaged resources worth Tk 15,000 crore including gas worth Tk 5,000 crore in Magurchhara Gas Field, and then left the country handing over the ownership to another American company Unocal.

The Canadian company Niko Resources (Bangladesh) Ltd also damaged gas and other resources worth Tk 4,000 crore, but the government did not take any initiative to claim the compensation, they added.

The leaders said, "We cannot sit idle when the resources of our country are being looted, and industries, agriculture, electricity, port and other service sectors are being given to multinational companies."

BSD Convenor Khalequzzaman, Workers Party General Secretary Saiful Haque, Professor Abul Quasem Fazlul Haque, economist Abul Barakat, and journalist Kamal Lohani, were present at the meeting.