Coal sale stopped despite huge stock, high demand

After selling at least 32,000 tonnes of coal to a few influential people in a single day on July 17, Barapukuria Coal Mining Company Ltd (BCMCL) suddenly stopped its sale only after a day although there is a stock of around three lakh tonnes of coal at its yard. 

Sale is usually suspended due to shortage of coal, but things are different this time, said a mine official seeking anonymity.  

“It's a plot of a few coalmine officials to make a large number coal buyers hostage to a handful of influential people for their personal gain,” said Raihan Ali, general secretary of Barapukuria Coal Traders' Association.

Around 450 coal consumers have applied for buying coal recently, he said.

Brickfield operators of the country are the key buyers of the coal of Barapukuria coalmine and each brickfield requires around 900 tonnes of coal for baking bricks in a year, said the stakeholders.  

The country's only coalmine in Parbatipur upazila of Dinajpur has a daily production rate of around 4,000 tonnes, said BCMCL sources.

Protesting the syndicated sale of coal, coal buyers from the northern region held a meeting in the mine area on Saturday afternoon. 

Brick kiln owners are now buying coal from the syndicate at Tk 14,000 instead of stipulated Tk 12,511 per tonne, said the traders, adding that brick manufacturing in hundreds of brickfields has become uncertain due to the situation. 

They demanded that the ministry concerned take action against the mine officials responsible for making the coal buyers hostage to some influential people.  

Mine sources said one Ruhul Amin with blessing of coalmine officials has got 10,000 tonnes while as per rules, a person can buy highest 5,000 tonnes of coal.   

Traders alleged that a high official of BCMCL, who is staying in Dhaka for managing his higher authorities, is playing the key role behind the conspiracy. 

The coal buyers will submit a memorandum to the ministry concerned, urging action against the conspiracy, said Mozibor Rahman, president of Barapukuira Coal Traders' Association. 

Khan Zafor Sadiq, deputy general manager of Sales and Marketing Department of BCMCL, said the sale of was suspended on Wednesday as per the decision of higher management led by the company's acting Managing Director (MD) Habib Uddin Ahmed. 

He admitted that 32,000 tonnes of coal was sold on July 17. 

This correspondent could not take any comment of acting MD Habib Uddin Ahmed as he is now travelling Australia.