Prospective coal mine site attracts visitors, experts
Curious people gather to see the prospective coalmine at Gorgram village in Nilphamari Sadar upazila yesterday as a Geological Survey Department official said after a test that the 'coal-like substance' found there last week is high quality bitumen. Inset, sample of mineral found at the spot.Photo: STAR
Hundreds of people from surrounding areas gathered at Gorgram village of Sadar upazila from morning yesterday to see the prospective coal mine site as an official of Geological Survey Department said that the 'coal-like substance' found at the spot last week is high quality bitumen. "The substance found at a very low depth underground during digging of a pond last week is high quality bitumen. The valuable item is very suitable for generating electricity," Mohammad Masum, assistant director (AD) of Geological Survey Department, said after visiting the spot and testing the mineral on Wednesday afternoon. However, much verification, testing and survey will be needed to ascertain the reserve and nature of the mineral, he told district officials, locals and journalists. "Usually such high quality coal is found at the basement layer of the soil. But at Gorgram, it has been found only at ten feet depth from the surface of the ground. If the coal can be extracted from here, it will be the first coal mine in the world in which coal is found at such a low depth," he said. "This kind of bitumen was perhaps originated about 3,000 years ago. It might have been transported in natural way from neighbouring area of Himalayan basin or West Bengal. This site might be a big coal mine as there are several coal mines in the surrounding areas in Bangladesh (Dinajpur district) and West Bengal," said the official. While digging a pond in his land on March 25, farmer Hasan Ali found the coal-like substances only a few feet deep from the surface of the ground. As the matter was brought to the notice of district administration the same day, Deputy Commissioner Zillur Rahman instructed collecting samples and sending it to the mineral resources department immediately. Gorgram union parishad Chairman Momtazul Haque told newsman that he has engaged village police to guard the area so that local people cannot collect the substance to use as fuel as it is found at a very low depth.
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