Black Gold and our Finance Minister

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THROUGH your esteemed daily, I would like to thank our learned finance minister for granting me an interview on July 20, 2009.
During our brief meeting, I apprised the Minister of the need for development and commercial utilisation of our beach sand valuable minerals elmenite, rutile, garnet, magnetite, monazite and zircon etc., known as 'black-gold' of Cox's Bazar, worth billions of US dollars which are lying unused, uncared for, wasted and lost into the sea for decades together.
The honourable Minister told me that he had the information that the beach sand minerals were not economically viable.
I informed the minister that he might have not get the correct information. I said that if the beach sand were not economically viable, the foreign mineral companies or Australia and Singapore would not have applied to our ministry of energy and mineral resources for a mining licence and permission for export of our beach sand, containing valuable mineral, as stated above.
I opposed export of our beach sand for cogent reasons and suggested that a team of our government experts and journalists may visit Cox's Bazar with me to see for themselves and experience some of the mineral deposit-sites and about the use of the valuable minerals.
I strongly feel that a co-ordination meeting of the concerned offices officials/ representatives/ experts of the Prime Minister's secretariat ministry of energy and mineral resources, ministry of finance and ministry of commerce may be held to consider, examine and to find our ways and means for development and commercial utilisation of the valuable minerals, 'Black-Gold', without further loss of time.
If we fail to take necessary steps now, the valuable minerals, 'Black-Gold', may be lost for ever due to world climate change and rise in the sea water level.
O.H. Kabir
6, Hare Street
Wari, Dhaka-1203