Gas, coal not to be exported

Gas and coal should not be exported unless Bangladesh has domestic energy security for the next 50 years, viewed 43 teachers of different public universities of the country yesterday.
At a press conference they demanded transparency of different provisions and clauses of agreements between the government and foreign companies regarding leasing of precious gas blocks in the Bay.
They said the government should discuss the issue in parliament and also arrange for open public dialogues with experts to clear the confusions over the issue.
The press conference was held at the conference centre of Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh (IEB) in the capital.
Academicians and teachers from Dhaka University, Jahangirnagar University, Rajshahi University, Chittagong University, Shahjalal University of Science & Technology and Chittagong University of Engineering & Technology attended.
Prof Muzaffer Ahmad, Prof Serajul Islam Choudhury, Prof MM Akash, M Shamsul Alam, Prof Saad Uddin, Prof Mesbah Kamal were present on the occasion.
The teachers spoke against the open-pit mining of coal in the northern region. They said open-pit mining would deplete underground water reserves in the region and trigger serious environmental disaster. It will destroy vast agricultural lands, they said.
They also said gas and coal should be extracted by local companies or the government and involving foreign companies would increase the price of gas and coal in the local market.
Speakers explained that if gas is produced by local companies or the government then the price of one unit would not exceed Tk 30 whereas if it is extracted by foreign companies, price of one unit would go up to Tk 225 ($3.20).
They also recommended that the government include five eminent experts in the open public dialogue. The teachers suggested that the names of Justice Golam Rabbani, Prof Md Nurul Islam, Prof Mohammad Zafar Iqbal, Prof MM Akash and Prof M Shamsul Islam be included as experts in the public dialogue.
Among others, Prof Abul Barakat, Prof Hasan Azizul Haque, Mohammad Zafar Iqbal, Prof Ajoy Roy, Prof Moloy Bhoumik, Prof Akmal Hossain expressed their support for the speakers at the briefing.