Barapukuria resumes coal production today
95-day work suspension costs Tk 257cr
Coal production at Barapukuria in Parbatipur upazila of Dinajpur is going to restart today after a suspension of 95 days following an underground accident on May 11 this year.
The production of Barapukuria Coal Mine Company Ltd (BCMCL) was suspended as a part of the mine roof of 1108 Phase caved in when a group of miners were working in 1240ft depth underground.
The accident killed miner Ranjit Saha and wounded more 19 people including two Chinese miners of contracted company CMC-XMC consortium.
The 95-day long suspension caused Tk 257crore loss to the state run company, sources said.
"The mine is now ready for coal production and hopefully it will start from 6.00am Sunday from 1108 coal phase," said BCMCL Managing Director Md Engineer Quamruzzaman.
CMC-XMC Consortium with participation of 850 Bangladeshi miners conducted trial production on Friday and Saturday morning to restart the coal production, he added.
Last year, they developed 1108 Phase with 2,47,876.2 tonnes of coal reserved.
Of it, 1,28,512.4 tonnes of coal was extracted from February to May 10 this year while about 1,19,347 tonnes of coal remained trapped inside the phase due to May 11 accident, sources said.
Restarting coal production after the accident was delayed as the BCMCL authority was in indecision to choose from safety measures suggested by foreign consultancy groups, sources said.
On May 20, a five-member Chinese team came to Bangladesh to examine the accident site. The Chinese experts suggested BCMCL authority for some safety measures including the roadway protection at the accident site of 1108 Phase.
International Mining Consultants Group Consulting Ltd (IMCGCL), a consultant of company of BCMCL, hired two consultants from Germany and they visited the accident site on June 20.
After thorough examinations, the experts of consultancy firms detected the stresses (weight bump) on upper part of the roof around the 1108 Phase in 1240ft depth. But the experts suggested two methods to de-stress the weight bump -- explosion method and hydro pressure remover method.
After holding several high level meetings, the Chinese experts opted for explosion method to de-stress the weight bump despite difference of opinion of IMCGCL consultancy groups due to excessive methane gas formation at the accident site, sources said.
To de-stress the weight bump, Chinese experts successfully exploded dynamites on August 4 and again on Thursday last.
A total of 37 dynamites were exploded for the purpose, BCMCL sources said.
The mine which has witnessed several spells of agitation by surrounding villagers and Bangladeshi miners since early this year had extracted 3500 tonnes of coal on an average daily until the May 11 accident, mine sources said.
After the accident, the Bangladeshi miners received 80 per cent of their wages although the contracted company appointed them under 'no work no pay' agreement.
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