UNB, Dhaka: When the caretaker government is moving fast to formulate the national coal policy, both the campaigners of open pit and underground mining have intensified their efforts to pursue the policymakers.

According to official sources, some of the campaigners are even engaged in campaign at the international level to pursue their own policy.

They said Energy Ministry has planned to organise a national seminar to discuss the issue and get advice from experts to reach a conclusion that could help formulate a national coal policy as well.

An Energy Ministry official said the government is determined to reach a conclusion by the end of the current month on the ongoing debate on which methodology — either the open pit mining or the underground mining — is viable and appropriate for Bangladesh’s coal sector.

While such an initiative is on, both the campaigners of open pit mining and underground mining have become active to pursue the policymakers in favour of their respective campaign.

The official sources said the planned national seminar would take place in the third week of the current month in Dhaka.

The country’s eminent energy experts, academicians, economists, geologists and miners will be invited to express their views and recommendations on the coal mining issue so that the government can properly formulate the policy protecting the national interest.

The Energy Ministry already invited some energy experts to hear their views in an indoor meeting last week.

Having held this indoor meeting, the Energy Ministry officials felt that there should be more open and wide-range of discussions on the issue so that the government could take a correct decision in choosing the mining methodology.

The Energy Ministry officials said they are hopeful of getting realistic views from experts on different issues from the seminar like royalty rate, safe coal mining methodology, coal export and optimum utilisation of extracted coal for power generation.

Meanwhile, the country’s civil society, NGOs and experts are divided on the issue as to what methodology should be the appropriate for coal mining in Bangladesh.

Some of them believe that open cast coal mining methodology would be the appropriate for Bangladesh as it is possible to extract 100 percent coal with the technology.

They are also of the view that the open cast mining methodology is cost effective and safe, and easier to handle.

This group of experts openly expressed their views in favour of open cast mining methodology in a recent seminar. BUET Prof Mohammad Tamim and some other experts were present.

Another group of experts believes that open cast mining methodology would not be appropriate for Bangladesh, as it is a densely populated country. They said huge population has to be displaced from the mining area in case of the open cast mining.

While the debate is going on, an NGO under the banner of Bangla Praxis has engaged in international campaign against open cast mining in Bangladesh.

Sources said a delegation of Bangla Praxis went to Japan to demonstrate against the open cast mining in Phulbari and other projects during the recent board meeting of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in Kiyoto.

Professor Aanu Mohammad led the delegation and organised the demonstration in association with a Japanese NGO JECSES.



© The Bangladesh Journal

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