The New Nation - Internet Edition

UNB, Dhaka

The draft coal policy with options for open pit and underground mining is being sent this week to the cabinet division for government approval.

"We've completed all necessary procedures. Now the draft will be sent to the Cabinet Division anytime this week for approval, Chief Advisor' s Special Assistant for Power and Energy Ministry Dr. M Tamim told UNB on Sunday.

He said inter-ministerial meeting discussing the draft policy had given the green signal to go ahead.

The BUET professor-turn caretaker government functionary said options for both open pit and underground mining methods were kept in the draft policy.

"Development method of any coal field will be determined on the basis of the coal conditions," he said adding that there is no provision for any pilot project or experimental basis project of open pit mining.

Full compensation including rehabilitation of those affected by the mining was provided in the draft policy. But they would not get the land back on completion of the mining as was proposed in the earlier draft policy.

"Land Ministry has suggested that this is not a pragmatic provision as land returning process to the original owner may create lot of complications after a long time of acquisition," said Dr, Tamim.

A high-level technical expert committee drafted the coal policy and placed it to the Energy Division in January this year.

Energy Division then reviewed it and took suggestions and opinions of other ministries concerned before finalizing the draft.

In the absence of coal policy, the Energy Ministry's move for developing the country's coal fields remained stalled.

So far, six coal fields with a total reserves of 2.55 billion tons have been identified, mainly in northern region.

Of those, Phulbari Coal Mine project, for which it UK-based Asia Energy conducted a feasibility-study and submitted an open pit mining development project remained staled for government's approval.

Similarly, Indian Tata Group also showed interest and placed a proposal for development of Barapukuria coal mine through open pit method. But the government is holding a decision for the policy.