PM instructs to weigh coal import options

Ex-MD of Barapukuria coal mine suspended

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has instructed officials to find out import options of coal to immediately mitigate the coal supply crisis created because of the mysterious disappearance of 1.42 lakh tonnes from the Barapukuria coal mine site. The shortage of coal has caused the shut down of the Barapukuria coal-fired 525MW thermal power plant, triggering power crisis in the nothern parts of the country.

The prime minister gave the instruction yesterday at a meeting in her office. Senior officials from the power, energy and mineral resources were present at the meeting.

Hasina asked for the formation of a high-powered committee from the Prime Minister Office (PMO) to investigate the disappearance of the large amount of coal from the Barapukria coal mine site. This committee will work on top of two other committees formed by the Petrobangla and Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).

Sources said that Hasina had taken the matter very seriously.

In the last four days, Hasina held two meetings with senior officials about the Barapukuria incident.

One of the senior officials present at the meeting told The Independent that the Petrobangla probe committee report was handed over to the Prime Minister and she had gone through it.

Hasina already enquired ministry officials about the current conditions of the coal mine site and the Barapukuria Coal Mining Company Limited (BCMCL). She talked about taking a tough stance on any sort of malpractice conducted there, according to sources.

A case has already been filed against 19 officials of the Barapukuria Coal Mining Company Limited (BCMCL), including its former managing director Habib Uddin Ahmed, in connection with     the ‘disappearance of coal’ from the mine yard.

As per instructions from the highest policymaking level, 80 million cubic feet (Mmcf) of natural gas per day is now being channeled out to the Sirjganj power hub since last Monday so that smooth electricity supply could be ensured in the northern districts.

Meanwhile, Habib Uddin Ahmed, the immediate past managing director of BCMCL, has been suspended by Petrobangla. He was made an officer on special duty (OSD) after allegations of corruption at the Barapukuria mine came to the forefront.

According to sources, Petrobangla has leveled a large number of allegations against him as he did not maintain proper stocks of coals at the mine.

As per allegations and subsequent probes, it has been found that 1.44 lakh  tonnes of coal has disappeared from the Barapukuria mine.

After a report submitted by a Petrobangla probe body on the disappearance of coal, a case was filed with the Parbatipur Police Station in Dinajpur on Wednesday against 19 officials, including Habib Uddin.

In another development, the government has formed a 12-member committee to trace and communicate international sources from where the country can import coal for Barapukuria coal  mine.

Additional Secretary to Power Division Mahbubur Rahman will head the body.

Meanwhile, Nasrul Hamid Bipu, state

minister for power, energy and mineral resources, told The Independent that he had seen the Petrobangla report. At this point, it was not possible to pinpoint the persons responsible for the Barapukuria incident, he said.

“The Prime Minister has already asked for further investigation. I believe that we will eventually be able to figure out what really happened there,” he added.

A probe committee member of Petrobangla told The Independent that the committee did not provide the name of any ‘particular individual’ or a ‘group of individuals’ in their report.

“Some media outlets have misattributed our report and named some of the officials. But we have not mentioned any name in our report,” said the probe committee member.

The Petrobangla official also said that they made a detailed analysis of the coal stock in the report. A comparison of data has provided them with insights into the malpractice conducted there, he added.

Refused to divulge further about the report, the official said that the BCMCL never adjusted the system loss occuring the at coal mine site in its store record as well as in its balance sheet.

The Independent too has found out through its own investigation that the company has never adjusted the system loss to maximise the profit bonuses they received.

According to Petrobangla, since the beginning of the BCMCL mining operation in FY2005-2006, the company has so far produced a total of 10,030,445 metric tonnes of coal.

The year-wise coal produced by the company is: 178,181 metric tonnes in 2005-2006, 303,016 in 2006-2007, 388,376 in 2007-08, 677,098 in 2007-2008, 827,845 in 2008-09, 704,658 in 2009-10, 666,635 in 2010-2011, 835,000 in 2011-12, 854,804 in 2012-13, 947,124 in 2013-14, 677,775 in 2014-15, 1,021,638 in 2014-15, 1,168,170 in 2016-2017  and 923,276.08 in 2017-18.

The year-wise profit of the company is: Tk. 52.61 crore in 2005-2006, Tk. 74.35 crore in 2006-2007, Tk. 29.97 crore in 2007-2008, Tk. 141.41 crore in 2008-2009, Tk. 59.35 crore in 2009-10, Tk. 82.49 crore in 2010-11, Tk. 202.13 crore in 2011-2012, Tk. 210.64 crore in 2012-13, Tk. 218.47 crore in 2013-14, Tk. 246.66 crore in 2014-15, Tk. 278.43 crore in 2015-2016 and Tk. 313.40 crore in 2016-2017. The data for 2017-2018 was not available.

PM instructs to weigh coal import options

Ex-MD of Barapukuria coal mine suspended

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has instructed officials to find out import options of coal to immediately mitigate the coal supply crisis created because of the mysterious disappearance of 1.42 lakh tonnes from the Barapukuria coal mine site. The shortage of coal has caused the shut down of the Barapukuria coal-fired 525MW thermal power plant, triggering power crisis in the nothern parts of the country. The prime minister gave the instruction yesterday at a meeting in her office. Senior officials from the power, energy and mineral resources were present at the meeting. Hasina asked for the formation of a high-powered committee from the Prime Minister Office (PMO) to investigate the disappearance of the large amount of coal from the Barapukria coal mine site. This committee will work on top of two other committees formed by the Petrobangla and Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC). Sources said that Hasina had taken the matter very seriously. In the last four days, Hasina held two meetings with senior officials about the Barapukuria incident. One of the senior officials present at the meeting told The Independent that the Petrobangla probe committee report was handed over to the Prime Minister and she had gone through it. Hasina already enquired ministry officials about the current conditions of the coal mine site and the Barapukuria Coal Mining Company Limited (BCMCL). She talked about taking a tough stance on any sort of malpractice conducted there, according to sources. A case has already been filed against 19 officials of the Barapukuria Coal Mining Company Limited (BCMCL), including its former managing director Habib Uddin Ahmed, in connection with the disappearance of coal from the mine yard. As per instructions from the highest policymaking level, 80 million cubic feet (Mmcf) of natural gas per day is now being channeled out to the Sirjganj power hub since last Monday so that smooth electricity supply could be ensured in the northern districts. Meanwhile, Habib Uddin Ahmed, the immediate past managing director of BCMCL, has been suspended by Petrobangla. He was made an officer on special duty (OSD) after allegations of corruption at the Barapukuria mine came to the forefront. According to sources, Petrobangla has leveled a large number of allegations against him as he did not maintain proper stocks of coals at the mine. As per allegations and subsequent probes, it has been found that 1.44 lakh tonnes of coal has disappeared from the Barapukuria mine. After a report submitted by a Petrobangla probe body on the disappearance of coal, a case was filed with the Parbatipur Police Station in Dinajpur on Wednesday against 19 officials, including Habib Uddin. In another development, the government has formed a 12-member committee to trace and communicate international sources from where the country can import coal for Barapukuria coal mine. Additional Secretary to Power Division Mahbubur Rahman will head the body. Meanwhile, Nasrul Hamid Bipu, state minister for power, energy and mineral resources, told The Independent that he had seen the Petrobangla report. At this point, it was not possible to pinpoint the persons responsible for the Barapukuria incident, he said. The Prime Minister has already asked for further investigation. I believe that we will eventually be able to figure out what really happened there, he added. A probe committee member of Petrobangla told The Independent that the committee did not provide the name of any particular individual or a group of individuals in their report. Some media outlets have misattributed our report and named some of the officials. But we have not mentioned any name in our report, said the probe committee member. The Petrobangla official also said that they made a detailed analysis of the coal stock in the report. A comparison of data has provided them with insights into the malpractice conducted there, he added. Refused to divulge further about the report, the official said that the BCMCL never adjusted the system loss occuring the at coal mine site in its store record as well as in its balance sheet. The Independent too has found out through its own investigation that the company has never adjusted the system loss to maximise the profit bonuses they received. According to Petrobangla, since the beginning of the BCMCL mining operation in FY2005-2006, the company has so far produced a total of 10,030,445 metric tonnes of coal. The year-wise coal produced by the company is: 178,181 metric tonnes in 2005-2006, 303,016 in 2006-2007, 388,376 in 2007-08, 677,098 in 2007-2008, 827,845 in 2008-09, 704,658 in 2009-10, 666,635 in 2010-2011, 835,000 in 2011-12, 854,804 in 2012-13, 947,124 in 2013-14, 677,775 in 2014-15, 1,021,638 in 2014-15, 1,168,170 in 2016-2017 and 923,276.08 in 2017-18. The year-wise profit of the company is: Tk. 52.61 crore in 2005-2006, Tk. 74.35 crore in 2006-2007, Tk. 29.97 crore in 2007-2008, Tk. 141.41 crore in 2008-2009, Tk. 59.35 crore in 2009-10, Tk. 82.49 crore in 2010-11, Tk. 202.13 crore in 2011-2012, Tk. 210.64 crore in 2012-13, Tk. 218.47 crore in 2013-14, Tk. 246.66 crore in 2014-15, Tk. 278.43 crore in 2015-2016 and Tk. 313.40 crore in 2016-2017. The data for 2017-2018 was not available.