Climate change impacts in Bangladesh
With the Himalayas to the north and the Bay of Bengal to the south, Bangladesh sits on one of the world’s largest and most densely populated deltas, where the Jamuna, Padma and Meghna rivers converge.
With the Himalayas to the north and the Bay of Bengal to the south, Bangladesh sits on one of the world’s largest and most densely populated deltas, where the Jamuna, Padma and Meghna rivers converge.
Environmentalists and other organisations form a human chain protesting Chevron's seismic survey in Lawachhera Reserve Forest. Photo: STAR Different environmentalist organisations yesterday formed a human chain at Lawacheera Reserve Forest in Moulvibazar to press their demand to stop the seismic survey there by US oil company Chevron.
The law ministry has pointed out that some sections of the draft coal policy would contradict the existing Mines and Mineral Rules 1968 and suggested amendment of the rules before approving the policy. A representative of the law ministry made the observation at an inter-ministry meeting on the draft coal policy, chaired by energy secretary Mohammad Mohsin at the Energy Division on Thursday, said sources present at the meeting.
The Energy Division will send the draft coal policy to the Cabinet Division by tomorrow for its placement before the council of advisers for approval, after a delay by about two years and a half over various controversies, officials said.
The eighth draft coal policy that emphasises immediate government-led action in coal sector to meet the country's surging energy demand is likely to be placed before the caretaker government's cabinet today. The draft proposes to set up a "mine Bangla" in line with Petrobangla by 2010 to spearhead different mining schemes. This government body will take strategic partners from private sector through open tenders for quick development of the schemes.
The much-talked-about 8th draft coal policy was not approved at the Advisory Council meeting due to strong differences over the issues of payment of royalty, acquisition of land, and quite a large number of ambiguities in it. Sources at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources told The New Nation yesterday that the draft coal policy was sent back to the ministry concerned for further scrutiny. Besides, the meeting of the Council of Advisers held on Wednesday in Chittagong suggested to make the draft coal policy smaller in size removing all the ambiguities.
It appears that the draft coal policy began with a text heavily biased towards private investment and facilitating large margins of profit for the mining companies. Ideally, there should not be a problem with the private investor making large margins but not at the cost of national interests or doing away with all kinds of binding safeguards to protect the environment and livelihoods of thousands of people who would be displaced
Leaders of National Oil, Gas, Minerals and Power and Port Protection Committee yesterday reiterated their demand for implementation of the six-point agreement signed on August 30 in 2006. The previous governments had initiated deals with Asia Energy, Tata Group and Mittal to extract coal near Barapukuria, they said while observing the second anniversary of Phulbari killing.
yesterday urged the government to move to develop the Phulbari coal mine without any further delay. They saw the huge coal reserve at the Phulbari coal mine as the only option now to deal with future energy crisis, particularly in power generation. "We can easily produce 3,500MW of electricity from the coal to be extracted from the Phulbari mine,' said Rangpur Chamber President Mostafa Azad Chowdhury, adding that as the country's gas reserve is depleting fast, coal is becoming the only option for power generation.
Petrol price hiked again: Pakistan
Finance Minister AMA Muhith yesterday said it is unlikely that Awami League would be able to fulfill its election pledge to raise electricty generation by 1,000 megawatts (MW) in the country by the next three years.