BANGLADESH

The specialist committee on coal extraction has called its first meeting on Oct 12

"The committee will consider geological structure, depth, aquifer and environmental impacts of the coalmines to recommend appropriate mining method for each of them and to ensure its maximum utilisation," committee head and former Petrobangla chairman Mosharraf Hossain told on Monday.

The new committee was given four months to prepare the report and submit it to the energy ministry. The committee can include one or two expert members, if needed.

The government formed the 15-strong committee on Sept 8 to prepare a comparative financial analysis of profit and loss of coal extraction from the mines and water management.

It will also recommend procedures to properly compensate and rehabilitate the victims who will have to give up lands to make way for coal-mining.

This is the second committee formed by the present government. The first committee headed by energy secretary Mohammad Mezbahuddin was formed in April 2010.

That committee had prepared a draft coal policy and published it on their website in Oct 2010 for public opinion. Later it was finalised based on public opinion.

Since then prime minister's energy advisor Tawfiq-e-Elahi and state minister for power Mohammad Enamul Haque have said several times that the final draft of the policy would be published by the end of 2010 after taking advice from experts in the field.

The state minister told , "The new committee is formed as we are interested to make such a policy which reflects everyone's opinion and also confirms that the people of the mining area are not deprived of their rights."

The committee will also analyse the impact of coal mining on the environment and will recommend measurement to protect it.

In 2005, the first step was taken to make a coal policy. Infrastructure Investment Facilitation Centre (IIFC) published the first coal policy in Dec 2005. That policy was based on foreign investment for extracting coal in open-pit method.

During the 2001-6 tenure of BNP-led government, the committee made four editions of that policy but could not implement any.

Later the caretaker government published sixth and seventh editions in March and June 2007 respectively.

In Jan 2008, another committee headed by former BUET VC Abdul Matin Patwary published the eighth edition of the draft coal policy. But in the face of massive protests, the draft was shelved.

Immediately after the Awami League-led government came into power in 2008, fresh initiatives had been taken to prepare a new policy.

Geological Survey of Bangladesh (GSB) has found out five coal mines with a reserve of approximately 30 billion tonnes.

Those mines are Barapukuria, Jamalganj, Khalishpur, Kuchma, Dighipara and Phulbari.

Among those the country is now lifting around 3,000 tonnes per day from Barapukuria and using those for 250 megawatt thermal power generation.

Members of the committee are Pertobangla chairman Hossain Mansur, Institute of Water Modeling (IMW) executive director Monowar Hossain, Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS) director general M K Mujeri, Dhaka University anthropology department chairman Mohammad Alam, BUET Chemical Engineering department professor Ijaz Hossain, BUET Civil Engineering department professor A B M Badruzzaman. Energy department joint secretary (development) Safaul Alam, Energy and Power editor Molla Amzad Hossain, former joint secretary Binu Gopal Dey, Rajshahi University Anthropology department professor Sultan-Ul-Islam, Geological Survey of Bangladesh director Mohammad Nehal Uddin, Pashchimanchal Gas Company Limited former managing director A K M Shamsuddin, Barapukuria Coal Mine Company Limited managing director Mohammad Kamruzzaman and a director from department of environment.