RAJSHAHI, Jan 10: Most of the brick kilns of Rajshahi remained closed because of insufficient supply of coal fuel this year. The owners of those kilns have become helpless as they are failing to fire their kilns even after investing a lot of money. The owners and workers of those kilns are also afraid that if such scarcity of coal continues, the factories might be closed all over the district rendering thousands of brick kilns workers unemployed.
The owners of the brick kilns, however, have called upon the government to take necessary steps in this connection.
According to sources, there are nearly 500 brick kilns in Rajshahi, Chapainawabganj, Natore and Naogaon districts. Of them 185 kilns of Rajshahi are run by coal. But due to short supply of coal, more than 80 per cent of these kilns remained closed this year. The activities of these kilns start in the month of October and are supposed to run till April. In rainy season, the activities of brick kilns remains stopped. The burning of bricks was supposed to start from November but it is seen on the spot that most of the kilns still remained closed. Only on a small scale, a little amount of bricks are being prepared due to absence of supply of coal.
An owner of a brick kiln at Paba upazila of Rajshahi informed he used to produce more than 1.5 million bricks earlier, but this year, he has targeted much less because of the shortage of coal, 70 per cent of which are supplied from India and 30 per cent are procured locally. The Boropukuria coal-mine supplies 20 per cent of the coal of the northern districts, it is learnt.
The owners of these brick kilns further alleged that influential brick kiln owners are getting the coals in illegal way. The coals are supplied mainly from Assam of India. To bring these coals from India, Tamabil of Sylhet, Haluaghat of Mymensingh, Burimari of Kurigram and Sona Masjid land port of Rajshahi are being used. Only 5 per cent of the needed coals come through Sona Masjid land port, the sources informed.
Apart from this, they have to buy coals at a high rate. Coals are sold at Tk 12,000 per ton at Boropukuria but the owners paying giving 18,000 per ton to procure the coal on an emergency basis. They think that, a syndicate is the cause of the high rate.
Sadrul Islam, President of Brick Kilns Owners Association of the northern region, said due to short supply of coal to the brick kilns, the fate of thousands of people are hanging on balance. He also alleged that a coal syndicate were selling coal to the brick kiln owners at an exorbitant price instead of retail price from the coal miner authority, that's why, they have to pay a high price of coal. If the government creates pressure on the companies to sell coals directly to the kiln owners, the syndicate wouldn't get a chance to make extra profit from it and the brick kiln owners would be benefited.
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