The New Nation - Internet Edition

UNB, Dhaka

The Ministry of Energy plans to place again the draft coal policy before the Cabinet Division by end of September, clarifying all the queries that have cropped up over the mining modalities concerning the country's important natural wealth.

According to official sources, the Energy Division is now preparing responses to the queries asked by the Advisors in the recent meeting of the Council of Advisors in the port city of Chittagong.

The Council of Advisors of the caretaker government sent back the draft national coal policy to the Energy Division for more review and vetting when the members of the Council of Advisors raised different queries about the proposed policy.

Sources said most of the advisors put up questions about the rehabilitation and land reclamation provisions laid down in the draft policy, which proposed not to give back the acquired land to its original owners after completion of coal mining.

They also registered difference of opinion on royalty-fixation provision, which the draft policy made flexible for a government's high-powered committee.

Another provision of the draft policy regarding the share offloading of the coalmine-developing companies drew questions from the Advisors.

They felt that the Securities and Exchange Commission should be the appropriate authority in dealing with the matter while draft policy provides a specific procedure.

The Energy Division is preparing the answers and suggestions accommodating the views of the Advisors.

"We're trying to respond to all the queries asked by the meeting of the Council of Advisors," Energy Secretary Mohammad Mohsin told UNB.

He mentioned that the Energy Division plans to complete the job shortly and place the draft policy before the Cabinet Division by end of September.

The immediate-past BNP-led alliance government had started the process of preparing coal policy, in view substantial deposits of the mineral fuel in the country's northern region-the discoveries that unfolded a second boon after natural gas.

A high-powered technical committee headed by a former BUET Vice-chancellor prepared the latest draft policy and submitted to the Energy Division in January this year.

Later, the Energy Division made some changes to the draft and placed it for approval by the Council of Advisors.

There is a huge potential to develop the country's coal sector with a reserve of about 2.5 billion tons. But the Energy Ministry is not moving to tap the potential because of lack of a national coal policy, which is also a cause of the recent chaos over the methodology of planned Phulbari coal mining.

Country's energy experts believe that the coal could be the alternative fuel to generate electricity while the natural gas is depleting.