Recruiting more experts to deal with environ issues suggested
Saturday, 10 November 2007
The National Review Committee on Coal Policy, after a heated debate, Friday recommended setting up of permanent site office of the Environment Directorate in the adjoining areas of any coal mine, reports UNB.
The committee, headed by former BUET Vice- chancellor Prof Abdul Matin Patwary, discussed different issues of the sixth draft coal policy at its 12th meeting at the Petrobangla Headquarters in the morning.
The committee observed that the present role and strength of the Environment Directorate was not sufficient enough to deal with environmental issues related with the coal miming.
The committee members made a recommendation to strengthen the Environment Directorate through recruiting more capable people and experts to deal with environmental issues in coal mining.
The caretaker government (CG) formed the national review committee to examine and scrutinise the present draft coal policy, which was prepared by the experts during the immediate past BNP-led alliance government.
The present review committee in its earlier meetings discussed the open pit and underground coal mining methods to determine which one should be beneficial for Bangladesh's coal sector.
The committee came to a view that both the options-open pit and underground mining-should remain open for Bangladesh. They also expressed the view that the government should allow the coal mine developer to go for limited export of coal.
The day's meeting of the review committee was attended by its members Prof Nurul Islam, journalist Ataus Samad, Chief of IIFC Nazrul Islam, Prof Badrul Imam and Petrobangla top officials.
The meeting also adopted a recommendation that the government form a high-powered committee to deal with the task of compensation payment and rehabilitation of the affected local people.
At present, the concerned Deputy Commissioner or Thana Nirbahi Officer (TNO) was responsible to deal with the matter.
The committee expressed the view that rehabilitation programmee was a gigantic task, which should be monitored by a high-powered committee comprising representatives of the affected people.
Sources said the committee members locked in a heated debate on the issue of water infiltration in the mining area during the development of open-pit mine project.
Some of the committee members expressed the opinion that water infiltration was a very modern technology now being applied worldwide to check desertification around the mining area while some others disagreed with the idea.
Sources said the review committee would sit again on November 17 to discuss the royalty issue.
The committee, headed by former BUET Vice- chancellor Prof Abdul Matin Patwary, discussed different issues of the sixth draft coal policy at its 12th meeting at the Petrobangla Headquarters in the morning.
The committee observed that the present role and strength of the Environment Directorate was not sufficient enough to deal with environmental issues related with the coal miming.
The committee members made a recommendation to strengthen the Environment Directorate through recruiting more capable people and experts to deal with environmental issues in coal mining.
The caretaker government (CG) formed the national review committee to examine and scrutinise the present draft coal policy, which was prepared by the experts during the immediate past BNP-led alliance government.
The present review committee in its earlier meetings discussed the open pit and underground coal mining methods to determine which one should be beneficial for Bangladesh's coal sector.
The committee came to a view that both the options-open pit and underground mining-should remain open for Bangladesh. They also expressed the view that the government should allow the coal mine developer to go for limited export of coal.
The day's meeting of the review committee was attended by its members Prof Nurul Islam, journalist Ataus Samad, Chief of IIFC Nazrul Islam, Prof Badrul Imam and Petrobangla top officials.
The meeting also adopted a recommendation that the government form a high-powered committee to deal with the task of compensation payment and rehabilitation of the affected local people.
At present, the concerned Deputy Commissioner or Thana Nirbahi Officer (TNO) was responsible to deal with the matter.
The committee expressed the view that rehabilitation programmee was a gigantic task, which should be monitored by a high-powered committee comprising representatives of the affected people.
Sources said the committee members locked in a heated debate on the issue of water infiltration in the mining area during the development of open-pit mine project.
Some of the committee members expressed the opinion that water infiltration was a very modern technology now being applied worldwide to check desertification around the mining area while some others disagreed with the idea.
Sources said the review committee would sit again on November 17 to discuss the royalty issue.