Bangladesh News

Energy experts and academics at a roundtable yesterday said provision for coal export in the proposed coal policy will go against national interest while participant politicians said the policy should be discussed in parliament before its finalisation.

Instead of allowing coal export, coal policy must focus more on national interest and be in line with energy policy, which will formulate a strategy to supply coal for power generation in the country, the speakers said.

The roundtable on ‘National coal policy : present context’ was organised by the Saptahik 2000 and held at The Daily Star office in the capital.

The sixth draft coal policy was supposed to be the final one but one more draft policy was prepared in June this year, said Nuruddin Mahmud Kamal, former chairman of Power Development Board (PDB) in his keynote presentation.

“This draft is yet to be reached to the recently formed committee for scrutiny though it (committee) is scheduled to hold its first meeting on July 22 (today). This is how the ‘energy bureaucrats’ are working secretly to hand over our mineral resources to foreign companies,” he said.

Referring to Phulbari coal mine, Nuruddin said people think open pit mining goes against their interest. “So, for whose interest the bureaucrats are encouraging the present government to take the risk of coal production there under open pit method?”

The most important task of the government is to assess the coal reserve, conduct technical and financial studies on mining by independent consultants, he stressed.

“A government institution should be created for producing and ensuring its (coal) proper use,” he said. The proposed coal policy speaks of energy security but it is not possible to ensure such security for 50 years if 80 percent of the coal is exported, he added.

“Thinking of coal export will tantamount to sedition, ” he observed.

Renowned economist and Dhaka University (DU) professor Abu Ahmed said, “The profit made by exporting coal will go to the lessee, not to the government. The foreign companies therefore do not hesitate to bribe the experts and even media people here to work in their favour.”

The economist proposed formation of an independent commission for assessing the damage, if caused, while mining the coal fields. The government should not go for any policy that will harm the people, he said.

DU Geology professor Badrul Imam said projected production of 20 million tonnes (mt) of coal annually in the first 10 years from now and 40 mt annually in the next 10 years is totally a fantasy.

Not more than 1 mt coal production is possible in the first 10 years if underground mining method is followed, he said referring to the draft policy. Production of 20 mt coal annually in the first 10 years will require at least 3 to 4 simultaneous mining in open pit method, he added.

Prof Anu Muhammad, member-secretary of the national committee to protect oil, gas and ports, said mineral resources are a strategic things which should be owned wholly by the people of the land.

There is no scope for exporting coal, he said. “We therefore need to build our national capacity and technical knowledge on it. Otherwise, we will fall in the ill cycle of poverty like many African states including Nigeria.”

Awami League (AL) leader Motia Chowdhury said her party had earlier said coal should not be exported without keeping its reserve to be used for 50 years.

“We don’t want to be another Nigeria,” she said, adding that natural resources of the country should be owned by the people.

Communist Party of Bangladesh General Secretary Mujahidul Islam Selim said a policy on coal or other energy resources is a very crucial issue and it must not be finalised without thorough analysis and discussion in parliament.

“Why is the government in so hurry?” he questioned. “If finalisation of the coal policy is so important, hold the general election in five months and then finalise it,” he added.

National interest cannot be abandoned in the name of globalisation, he noted.

AL leader Col (retd) Faruk Khan said the draft coal policy should be discussed in parliament for its finalisation. He stressed training of manpower on mining technology.

Other speakers at the roundtable included economist Qazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmad, columnist Syed Abul Maksud, Maj Gen (retd) Golam Maola, Jatiya Party leader GM Quader, journalist Naeemul Islam Khan, BNP leader Sardar Sakhawat Hossain Bokul, geologist prof Hossain Mansur, prof Shamsul Alam and ActionAid Country Director Farah Kabir. Saptahik 2000 Acting Editor Golam Mortuza moderated it.