Residential zone for affected people in Barapukuria coal mine
Wednesday, 10 November 2010
FE Report
The government would set up a special residential zone for victims at Barapukuria coalmine at a cost of Tk 1.90 billion to boost coal extraction from the country's first mine, hard hit by the land subsidence, officials said Tuesday.
The government Tuesday endorsed a scheme to ensure smooth mine operation, obstructed several times by the affected local people for land subsidence in their residential areas due to underground coal extraction.
State-run energy corporation Petrobangla said if the project is implemented the coal production would not be affected.
More than two years ago, the residents at the coalmine areas faced land subsidence first due to coal extraction through underground mining method at the Barapukuria structure.
Presided over by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the government's highest project approval body ECNEC endorsed the scheme to rehabilitate nearly four thousand affected people at the special residential zone by June 2011.
It has also approved a power distribution lines in the Chittagong Hill Tract (CHT) areas at a cost of Tk1.64 billion and install another 165km 230kv transmission lines from Bibiyana to Comilla at Tk3.78 billion.
Most of the hill people are deprived of the electricity connections as installing distribution lines in remote areas is costly.
"To light the remote hill-tract villages the government has undertaken the project from its own fund," a power division official said.
The state-run power grid company of Bangladesh (PGCB) will install Bibiyana-Comilla electricity transmission line to supply surplus power from greater Sylhet region to industrial belt in Chittagong
A Petrobangla official said the Barapukuria Coal Mining Company Ltd. (MCMCL) would acquire 646 acres of land at the coal structure to boost its production smoothly.
Barapukuria coal mine which started production in 2005, has been the first mine in the country with 390 million tonnes of high-quality coal reserves.
The government utilises nearly 65 per cent of the coal production from the mine to run a 250-megawatt coal-fired power plant beside the Barapukuria mine and the rest is sold out to other domestic consumers including brick fields.
The government has appointed China National Machinery Import and Export Corporation (CMC) to extract coal from the mine.
Petrobangla official said the BCMCL has undertaken the project to acquire 646 acres of land around the coalmine to ensure smooth mine operations.
"Since there is possibility of further land subsidence around the coalmine areas, rehabilitation of the families from that areas to other places is imperative. This project will help extract coal without affecting the people," a senior BCMCL official told the FE.
We would disburse compensation to the families so that they could build their houses in the special residential zone near the coalmine, he said.
The ECNEC has also endorsed some eight other projects in the meeting to be implemented at a cost of Tk 20.84 billion for developing infrastructures and other socio-economic sectors.
The government would set up a special residential zone for victims at Barapukuria coalmine at a cost of Tk 1.90 billion to boost coal extraction from the country's first mine, hard hit by the land subsidence, officials said Tuesday.
The government Tuesday endorsed a scheme to ensure smooth mine operation, obstructed several times by the affected local people for land subsidence in their residential areas due to underground coal extraction.
State-run energy corporation Petrobangla said if the project is implemented the coal production would not be affected.
More than two years ago, the residents at the coalmine areas faced land subsidence first due to coal extraction through underground mining method at the Barapukuria structure.
Presided over by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the government's highest project approval body ECNEC endorsed the scheme to rehabilitate nearly four thousand affected people at the special residential zone by June 2011.
It has also approved a power distribution lines in the Chittagong Hill Tract (CHT) areas at a cost of Tk1.64 billion and install another 165km 230kv transmission lines from Bibiyana to Comilla at Tk3.78 billion.
Most of the hill people are deprived of the electricity connections as installing distribution lines in remote areas is costly.
"To light the remote hill-tract villages the government has undertaken the project from its own fund," a power division official said.
The state-run power grid company of Bangladesh (PGCB) will install Bibiyana-Comilla electricity transmission line to supply surplus power from greater Sylhet region to industrial belt in Chittagong
A Petrobangla official said the Barapukuria Coal Mining Company Ltd. (MCMCL) would acquire 646 acres of land at the coal structure to boost its production smoothly.
Barapukuria coal mine which started production in 2005, has been the first mine in the country with 390 million tonnes of high-quality coal reserves.
The government utilises nearly 65 per cent of the coal production from the mine to run a 250-megawatt coal-fired power plant beside the Barapukuria mine and the rest is sold out to other domestic consumers including brick fields.
The government has appointed China National Machinery Import and Export Corporation (CMC) to extract coal from the mine.
Petrobangla official said the BCMCL has undertaken the project to acquire 646 acres of land around the coalmine to ensure smooth mine operations.
"Since there is possibility of further land subsidence around the coalmine areas, rehabilitation of the families from that areas to other places is imperative. This project will help extract coal without affecting the people," a senior BCMCL official told the FE.
We would disburse compensation to the families so that they could build their houses in the special residential zone near the coalmine, he said.
The ECNEC has also endorsed some eight other projects in the meeting to be implemented at a cost of Tk 20.84 billion for developing infrastructures and other socio-economic sectors.