Staff Reporter :
State Minister for Power and Energy Nasrul Hamid on Wednesday said that Bangladesh Oil, Gas and Mineral Corporation (Petrobangla) never maintained any inventory since start of the Barapukuria coal-mine operation and supply of the coal to the nearby Barapukuria power plant in 2006.
He came up with the disclosure while talking to the reporters upon receipt of a probe report carried out by Petrobangla on disappearance of 1,48,000 tonnes of coal from a Barapukuria coal mine field in Dinajpur.
“I received the investigation report just now and I’m yet to go through it. I have to study it and then I can make comment”, Bipu told reporters.
Earlier, the three-member inquiry committee, led by Petrobangla director of mining Quamruzzaman, handed over its report to him.
“The body was formed to investigate the coal scam. Action will be taken against those involved as per the probe report,” he added.
Officials said, the inquiry committee found involvement of the four managing directors of Barapukuria Coal Mining
State Minister for Power and Energy Nasrul Hamid on Wednesday said that Bangladesh Oil, Gas and Mineral Corporation (Petrobangla) never maintained any inventory since start of the Barapukuria coal-mine operation and supply of the coal to the nearby Barapukuria power plant in 2006.
He came up with the disclosure while talking to the reporters upon receipt of a probe report carried out by Petrobangla on disappearance of 1,48,000 tonnes of coal from a Barapukuria coal mine field in Dinajpur.
“I received the investigation report just now and I’m yet to go through it. I have to study it and then I can make comment”, Bipu told reporters.
Earlier, the three-member inquiry committee, led by Petrobangla director of mining Quamruzzaman, handed over its report to him.
“The body was formed to investigate the coal scam. Action will be taken against those involved as per the probe report,” he added.
Officials said, the inquiry committee found involvement of the four managing directors of Barapukuria Coal Mining
Company in the scam that led to closure of the country’s lone thermal power plant at Barapukuria causing severe power disruption in the country’s eight northern districts, including Rangpur, Panchagarh, Nilphamari, Lalmonirhat, Kurigram, Gaibandha, Dinajpur and Thakurgaon.
These districts were receiving power supply mainly from the Barapukuria power plant.
Officials said the shortage of coal suddenly came to their notice a few days back when a team from PDB visited the coal mine and found that there was no adequate reserve of coal in the yard of the mine.
They found that there was only 6,000 tonnes of coal reserved in the yard which would meet the requirement of only 2-3 days.
The coal production in the Barapukuria coal mine was suspended for about one and half months under a programme to change the mining shaft.
But the PDB was assured by the BCMCL authorities of continuing the coal supply from the reserved coal during the closure of the mine operation.
PDB officials said the power plant requires about 4,500 tonnes of coal a day when all the three units are in operation. But now two units remain off and only the third unit with 275MW capacity was operating to a tune of 130 MW.
The issue was immediately communicated with Petrobangla, they said.
Petrobangla top officials identified inconsistency in the coal reserve at the coal mine yard.
These districts were receiving power supply mainly from the Barapukuria power plant.
Officials said the shortage of coal suddenly came to their notice a few days back when a team from PDB visited the coal mine and found that there was no adequate reserve of coal in the yard of the mine.
They found that there was only 6,000 tonnes of coal reserved in the yard which would meet the requirement of only 2-3 days.
The coal production in the Barapukuria coal mine was suspended for about one and half months under a programme to change the mining shaft.
But the PDB was assured by the BCMCL authorities of continuing the coal supply from the reserved coal during the closure of the mine operation.
PDB officials said the power plant requires about 4,500 tonnes of coal a day when all the three units are in operation. But now two units remain off and only the third unit with 275MW capacity was operating to a tune of 130 MW.
The issue was immediately communicated with Petrobangla, they said.
Petrobangla top officials identified inconsistency in the coal reserve at the coal mine yard.
