Black gold of Cox's Bazar
Friday, 19 June 2009
asks O.H. Kabir
IT has been reported in a national daily early this month that a Singapore- Australia-based company, Premier Mineral, has applied to the government of Bangladesh for mining licence for extraction of valuable minerals, Black Gold, from Cox's Bazar and Teknaf.
The handing over of our mineral deposit sites to any foreign country / foreign company is not welcome anyway.
We would like to put some question to the relevant authorities, about whether any responsible government high-up or functionary has ever visited mineral deposit sites in Cox's Bazar and Teknaf and seen Black Gold? Do they know what is Black Gold and what is its use and price? This writer is certain that our Ministers, MPs, political leaders of different parties, top government officials, industrialists, businessmen and journalists might have heard or read about valuable minerals Black Gold but they have never visited the mineral deposit sites or saw the Black Gold.
What is mysterious about Black Gold? An overwhelming majority of our population are totally unaware and ignorant about the valuable minerals, Black Gold. They have never seen it. They do not know its utility and value.
Thousands of people visit Cox's Bazar every year. Have they seen and found Black Gold.? What is valuable minerals, Black Gold ? It is a mixed component of costly minerals eliminate, rutile, garnet, magnetite, monazite and zircon etc., found in beach sand in some of our coastal areas -- Cox's Bazar, Moheskhali, Sonadia, Qutubdia, Teknaf, Inani, Nijhumdip, Kuakata and other places.
Different minerals of Black Gold are used in paper, paint, ceramic industry etc., and for making body of aeroplane and engine picture tube of TV, nuclear plants etc.
In 1975, Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission (BAEC) declared that Geological Survey, of Bangladesh discovered the heavy minerals eliminate, rutile, garnet magnetite, monazite and zircon etc., in 1962 and handed over the responsibilities of these minerals to Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) for exploration and development. We, however, came to know from various sources that the valuable minerals were first discovered by our eminent scientist, Dr. Qudrat-e-Khuda in 1950. In 1970, when I was posted in Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation office at Cox's Bazar, I found the vast deposit of valuable minerals which I call, Black Gold
Ever since I have left no stone unturned for development and commercial utilisation of the valuable minerals. During the last over three decades, innumerable news, reports, articles, letters and editorials have been published in our various national dailies and magazines. Many meetings, conferences and seminars were held. I also met with a former President and a former Prime Minister, some ministers, the secretaries to the government, other top government officials, businessmen and industrialists in this connection but in vain.
At last, the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources vide letter No Jalani-Khaniz-Sohi/Opa-2/5(2r-003/839 dt- 17/06/2003/refused me permission for collection, store, commercially use and export of the valuable minerals, Black Gold
It is true that exploration, extraction, separation, refining, purification of the valuable minerals, Black Gold, is a tremendous task and it involves a huge capital investment.
But why should we hand over our national asset -- our national treasure -- to foreign country/foreign company?
Where there is a will, there is a way. We may explore, extract develop and commercially use the valuable minerals, Black Gold, ourselves by our own ways, means and technology, step by step, slowly but steadily with sincerity and honesty without any greed and lust to get rich quick.
Years of my field works, survey monitoring and practical experiences in some coastal areas and mineral deposit sites have made me think, get confident, come to the conclusion and claim that if we can catch fish in the turbulent waters of the Bay of Bengal, make shrimp cultivation and produce salt in the coastal areas and earn millions of takas, why can't we use and earn money from available valuable minerals of the coastal areas of our country?
The things that we are required to do are: We must impart a special practical training to our coastal people, provide them with some tools and equipment and import some machineries from foreign countries and, thus, start a valuable minerals, Black Gold, as a cottage industry, first of all, and then march forward gradually to earn billions of dollars for our country
All what have been stated above may appear peculiar, fantastic and strange for many people but it is strange but true, for truth is always stranger than fiction.
IT has been reported in a national daily early this month that a Singapore- Australia-based company, Premier Mineral, has applied to the government of Bangladesh for mining licence for extraction of valuable minerals, Black Gold, from Cox's Bazar and Teknaf.
The handing over of our mineral deposit sites to any foreign country / foreign company is not welcome anyway.
We would like to put some question to the relevant authorities, about whether any responsible government high-up or functionary has ever visited mineral deposit sites in Cox's Bazar and Teknaf and seen Black Gold? Do they know what is Black Gold and what is its use and price? This writer is certain that our Ministers, MPs, political leaders of different parties, top government officials, industrialists, businessmen and journalists might have heard or read about valuable minerals Black Gold but they have never visited the mineral deposit sites or saw the Black Gold.
What is mysterious about Black Gold? An overwhelming majority of our population are totally unaware and ignorant about the valuable minerals, Black Gold. They have never seen it. They do not know its utility and value.
Thousands of people visit Cox's Bazar every year. Have they seen and found Black Gold.? What is valuable minerals, Black Gold ? It is a mixed component of costly minerals eliminate, rutile, garnet, magnetite, monazite and zircon etc., found in beach sand in some of our coastal areas -- Cox's Bazar, Moheskhali, Sonadia, Qutubdia, Teknaf, Inani, Nijhumdip, Kuakata and other places.
Different minerals of Black Gold are used in paper, paint, ceramic industry etc., and for making body of aeroplane and engine picture tube of TV, nuclear plants etc.
In 1975, Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission (BAEC) declared that Geological Survey, of Bangladesh discovered the heavy minerals eliminate, rutile, garnet magnetite, monazite and zircon etc., in 1962 and handed over the responsibilities of these minerals to Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) for exploration and development. We, however, came to know from various sources that the valuable minerals were first discovered by our eminent scientist, Dr. Qudrat-e-Khuda in 1950. In 1970, when I was posted in Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation office at Cox's Bazar, I found the vast deposit of valuable minerals which I call, Black Gold
Ever since I have left no stone unturned for development and commercial utilisation of the valuable minerals. During the last over three decades, innumerable news, reports, articles, letters and editorials have been published in our various national dailies and magazines. Many meetings, conferences and seminars were held. I also met with a former President and a former Prime Minister, some ministers, the secretaries to the government, other top government officials, businessmen and industrialists in this connection but in vain.
At last, the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources vide letter No Jalani-Khaniz-Sohi/Opa-2/5(2r-003/839 dt- 17/06/2003/refused me permission for collection, store, commercially use and export of the valuable minerals, Black Gold
It is true that exploration, extraction, separation, refining, purification of the valuable minerals, Black Gold, is a tremendous task and it involves a huge capital investment.
But why should we hand over our national asset -- our national treasure -- to foreign country/foreign company?
Where there is a will, there is a way. We may explore, extract develop and commercially use the valuable minerals, Black Gold, ourselves by our own ways, means and technology, step by step, slowly but steadily with sincerity and honesty without any greed and lust to get rich quick.
Years of my field works, survey monitoring and practical experiences in some coastal areas and mineral deposit sites have made me think, get confident, come to the conclusion and claim that if we can catch fish in the turbulent waters of the Bay of Bengal, make shrimp cultivation and produce salt in the coastal areas and earn millions of takas, why can't we use and earn money from available valuable minerals of the coastal areas of our country?
The things that we are required to do are: We must impart a special practical training to our coastal people, provide them with some tools and equipment and import some machineries from foreign countries and, thus, start a valuable minerals, Black Gold, as a cottage industry, first of all, and then march forward gradually to earn billions of dollars for our country
All what have been stated above may appear peculiar, fantastic and strange for many people but it is strange but true, for truth is always stranger than fiction.