The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

The National Review Committee on Coal Policy yesterday recommended that the land that might be affected due to coal extraction should be returned to the owners by restoring the top soil and productivity.

The recommendation was made at a meeting of the review committee at the Petrobangla Headquarters in the city with its convener and former BUET Vice Chancellor Prof Abdul Matin Patwary in the chair.

The meeting suggested setting up of a site office of the Environment Directorate in the adjoining areas of any coalmine to oversee the possible environmental pollution round-the-clock during extraction of coal. The experts committee, formed earlier to examine and scrutinise the draft coal policy, also recommended taking steps to strengthen the Environment Directorate by recruiting more competent people and experts to deal with environmental issues particularly in the coal-mining sector.

The committee said that the present role and strength of the Environment Directorate was not sufficient to deal with environmental issues particularly those related to the coal mining.

The meeting discussed different aspects of the draft coal policy and viewed that the government should allow the coalmine developers to go for limited export of coal.

The committee members suggested that the government should form a high-power committee to dispense compensation payment and organise rehabilitation of the affected local people.

They opined that the rehabilitation programmes, what they termed a gigantic task, should be monitored by a high-power committee comprising representatives of the affected people also.

Currently, the matter is being dealt with by the concerned Deputy Commissioner or Thana Nirbahi Officer (TNO).

The meeting locked in a heated debate on the issue of water infiltration in the mining area during the development of open-pit mine project.

Some members opined that measure should be taken to check diversification of mining areas on practical ground not on the basis of computerised simulation while some others disagreed with the idea.

The meeting was attended, among others, by committee members-Prof Nurul Islam, Prof Badrul Imam, IIFC Chief Nazrul Islam and journalist Ataus Samad.

Meeting sources said the next meeting of the national, committee expected to be held on November 17, was likely to discuss the royalty issue.