Anisul Islam Noor :
About 1.42 lakh tones of coal extracted from Barapukuria coal mine in Dinajpur for power generation have disappeared. The price of this coal at current market price is Tk 227 crore.
Barapukuria Coal Mining Company (BCMC) Managing Director and a General Manager were withdrawn in connection with the disappearance of coal. Petrobangla, the controlling authority of the coal mining company, has suspended a general manager and deputy general manager in this case.
Habib Uddin Ahmed, Managing Director of Coal Mine Company, has been posted at Petrobangla as Officer on Special Duty (OSD). He was sent there as MD position in April last year. Company Secretary and General Manager Abul Kashem Pradhanai stand release to the Western Gas Company in Sirajganj. At the same time, Petrobangla suspended Abu Taher Md. Noor-Uz-Zaman, General Manager (Mine Operation) and Khaledul Islam Deputy General Manager (Store), an official of BCMCL told that disciplinary action was being taken against these four people for negligence to duty.
According to Petrobangla, the coal collected from mine was supposed to contain 1.42 lakh tons of coal reserves where the stack was kept. But there is not even a ton of coal there.
According to the sources of the mine company, the current market price of every tonne coal is Tk16,000. As such, there is no trace of coal worth Tk 227 crore.
Chief Engineer of Barapukuria Coal Mining Abdul Hakim said , the power plant needs 4,500 tonnes of coal per day to run electricity generation. But due to temporary closure of coal extraction and the finishing of almost stock of coal, power generation is going on partially at the 525-MW Barapukuria thermal power plant.
In the coal crisis, two units of 125 MW capacities have already been discontinued. The second 275 MW power center is not fully operational.
Las week, the Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) member Abu Sayeed visited the coal mine area and came to the fore when the coal disappeared.
A three-member committee has been formed headed by Petrobangla Director (operation and mine) Md. Kamruzzaman.
Petrobangla’s Director (planning) Ayub Khan Chowdhury has been asked to serve as the Managing Director of BCMC as an additional charge.
