The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

Proper exploitation of mineral resources at the Cox's Bazar sea beach and other points along the coastal belt will open up a new vista of rapid economic development of Bangladesh, according to researchers of BCSIR.

Researchers said that the world's longest sand beach is endowed with a vast reserve of titanium, zircon, rotail and monanjitis.

Titanium is mainly used as raw material for building aircraft. It has been found at 17 points at the coastal area of Cox's Bazar and khulna.

It is possible to lift 10 lakh tonnes of elmanite from the coastal belt.With this quantity of elmanite four lakh tonnes of titanium worth Tk 560 lakh crore can be produced, they mentioned.

They further said one kilogram of titanium is now sold at 19,500 US dollars to 22,000 dollars. Mexico, India, North America and Australia are the main buyers of this mineral.

The Institute of Mining Mineralogy and Metrology has chalked out a Tk 25 crore project to lift titanium from the sand on an experimental basis,said Md.Yunus Miah,project chairman.

The Chief Adviser to the caretaker government Fakhruddin Ahmed is expected to inaugurate the project in June.

A seven-acre plot has been taken at Khonjonpur under sadar upazila in Joypurhat district for this project.

Titanium is used not only for building aircraft but also for brightening the colour of paints and lifting coal from the mine.It can fetch huge foreign currency after meeting the home demand, researchers said.

Exploitation of mineral resources will also generate employment opportunities in the field of research and other sectors, Md Yunus said.