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The Daily Sun talked to a film production house situated at Niketan Housing in the capital when it said the highest Tk2 lakh is needed for producing a 10-12 minute documentary.

Violation of HC directive

A project titled "Strengthening of the Hydrocarbon Unit (Phase II) started in 2006 and was completed in December 2023. Then, the government decided to continue the activities of the project with the existing employees after absorbing them into the revenue sector. After that, the Hydrocarbon Unit was permanently shifted under the revenue budget.

However, the authorities decided to appoint manpower to different posts through direct job circulation. Accordingly, the authorities published recruitment advertisements in some newspapers.

In 2014, some employees filed a writ petition with the High Court challenging the job circulation against their posts -- administrative officer, accountant assistant, senior computer operator and computer operator.

On 3 March 2015, the HC directed the authorities concerned to absorb the petitioners under the revenue budget.

Violating the HC judgment, DG Shameem Khan, however, obtained a clearance certificate from the Mineral Resources Division for the appointment of manpower to the four posts on 3 October 2023.

However, the division in its certificate clearly stated that if there is any court ban or writ with the HC or the matter is pending with the court, the appointment would have to be made as per the court directives.

However, ignoring the HC directive, the DG appointed Moflehur as the computer operator along with another person.

About the appointment, DG Shameem Khan told the Daily Sun that they lodged an appeal with the Appellate Division against the HC judgment. "I hope that the top court will cancel the HC judgment," he said.

When contacted, Additional Secretary (Operations) of the division Khalid Ahmed told the Daily Sun that an inquiry into the allegations against the DG and Moflehur is going on.

He, however, declined to comment on the ongoing probe.

Https://www.daily-sun.com/post/779677

Bangladesh

HYDROCARBON UNIT

DG accused of graft, violation of HC order

Mahabub Alam

Mahabub Alam

Journalist

Publish: Friday, 29 November, 2024 14:15

DG accused of graft, violation of HC order

Allegations of corruption and blatant disregard for the High Court have surfaced against Md Shameem Khan, director general (DG) of the Hydrocarbon Unit under the Energy and Mineral Resources Division.

The allegations include the misappropriation of public funds through a fraudulent deal with Arshinagar Media and producing fake vouchers.

Shameem's alleged accomplice, Moflehur Rahman, a peon appointed on an outsourcing basis, played a crucial role in the corruption scheme.

Besides, the DG got the job of Nur Islam, another employee appointed on the outsourcing basis, dismissed on 30 June this year as he witnessed an illegal transaction with Moflehur.

On the contrary, Moflehur was appointed as a computer operator on 16 July last violating the HC directive as a ‘reward’ for abetting the DG in his corruption. More surprisingly, he was entrusted with the additional charge of office assistant (accounts) on 22 August.

The Daily Sun obtained some documents on the graft practices of Shameem Khan. However, Shameem Khan denied the allegations.

Complaints have been lodged against Shameem Khan and Moflehur by two individuals with the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), the Ministry of Public Administration and the Public Service Commission (PSC).

Following a complaint filed with the ministry, the Energy and Mineral Resources Division formed a probe body to look into the allegations. Additional Secretary (Operations) of the division Khalid Ahmed is heading the probe panel.

According to sources in the Hydrocarbon Unit, the DG gave the work of producing a documentary titled 'Coal Development Video Documentation for the Development of Coal Fields of Bangladesh' to Arshinagar Media.

As per the deal, company proprietor Aminur Liton would place a bill of around Tk15 lakh but he would be paid Tk4 lakh. The rest of the money would have to be returned back to the DG after the deduction of VAT.

Accordingly, Arshinagar Media placed a bill of Tk14.85 lakh to the DG. The Hydrocarbon Unit attested the bill on 2 June this year.

On 11 June, the Office of the Controller General of Accounts issued a cheque for Tk12,46,754 to the company after deducting the VAT.

As per the contract, Arshinagar Media owner returned Tk8,46,754 through a cheque from Global Islami Bank to Moflehur on 25 June.

Nur Islam, who was discharged from the job on 30 June, said, "I tactfully took a photocopy of the cheque given to Moflehur. Later, he (Moflehur) withdrew the money and entered the DG's room. I incidentally entered the room and saw Moflehur handing over the money to the DG."

"Within five days, I was discharged from the job," he said.

A senior officer of the Hydrocarbon Unit, wishing not to be named, told the

It was a firmly tongue in cheek comment Bangla. 😀

FYI the first trade of the day was my regular top up 😉

Get your shameless truth or deramping behaviour in order Bangla 😂

Really good news. She wanted Phulbari mined 👍

Sounds promising. Just need an election date. Maybe they’ll mention Phulbari directly soon.

There are 7,803 million tons of coal stored in five coal mines, discovered by GSB but coal is being extracted only from the Barapukuria coal mine, he said, adding that 525MW electricity is now being generated using the extracted coal.

Feasibility studies for Dighipara and Khalashpir coal fields have already been completed. However, for the Jamalganj coal field, it has become impossible to extract coal due to its depth but in future, it can be extracted using the underground coal gasification (UCG) method or Coal-bed methane (CBM) by drilling wells into coal seams.

Other reserve mineral resources include around 60 crore tons of peat coal, 2,527 (two thousands 527 crore tons) tons of limestone worth US$758.1 billion, 20.10 crore tons of hard rock worth US$5.42 billion, 23 crore tons of plain soil worth US$29.9 billion, 511.70 crore tons of glass sand worth US$6.4 billion, 220 crore tons of gravel worth US$3.3 billion and 62.5 crore tons of iron ore worth US$6.88 billion.

According to the GSB studies, the richest districts in terms of mineral resources in the country include Sylhet, Sunamganj, Moulvibazar, Habiganj, Panchagarh, Lalmonirhat, Dinajpur, Rangpur, Joypurhat, Netrokona, Mymensingh, Sherpur, Cox's Bazar, Comilla, Bandarban and Khagrachari.

Of the five coal fields, Barapukuria in Dinajpur, discovered by GSB in 1985, has coal reserves of 390 million tons, Dighipara coal mine, discovered by GSB in 1995, has coal reserves of 706 million tons and Khalashpir coal mine in Rangpur, discovered in 1989, has coal reserves of 685 million tons.

Phulbari coal mine in Dinajpur, discovered by BHP in 1997, has 572 million tons of coal reserves and the Jamalganj coal mine in Joypurhat, discovered by GSB in 1959, has 5450 million tons of coal reserves.

Mineral resource’s proper use can help country reap huge benefits

BSS

25 Nov 2024, 19:51

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DHAKA, Nov 25, 2024 (BSS) - Bangladesh can reap huge benefits if measures are taken to ensure proper domestic use and exports of the vast untapped mineral resources, rough value of which is expected to be more than US$2.26 trillion.

If adequate efforts are made to explore and extract the resources which are stored mainly in the country's 16 districts can be a major source of foreign exchange earnings along with ensuring domestic energy security, according to the Geological Survey of Bangladesh (GSB).

As per the GSB's report, in the i6 districts of the country, there are 10 types of mineral resources- coal, peat, hard rock, ordinary stone or sand mixed stone, silica sand, plain soil, mineral sand, limestone, metallic minerals and iron ore.

"The estimated roughly value of country's naturally stored mineral resources is more than US$2.26 trillion, equivalent to Tk 241.97 trillion," says the GSB, country's lone public entity working on exploring and extracting the natural resources.

"Initiatives are very minimal to explore and extract the valuable mineral resources mainly sands in the offshore area and in the rivers including coastal areas of Cox's Bazar, Jamuna River and Brahmaputra River," said Bureau of Mineral Development (BMD) Assistant Director Md. Mahfuzur Rahman.

Talking to BSS, he said the significant mineral resources discovered in the country so far include coal, hard rock, ordinary stone or sand mixed stone, silica sand and plain soil.

"There is vast valuable mineral sand in the big rivers but the initiatives are not enough to extract it. However, plain soil (alluvial soil) is being extracted to some extent locally along with some glass sand," he added.

About the value of the mineral resources, GSB officials said the financial value of the discovered mineral resources is basically a conceptual number obtained from the reserves.

If feasibility studies can be conducted, the actual data and ideas can be obtained about the size of mineral resources and accurate financial value as per the existing market price, they added.

GSB Director Md. Ali Akbar said, "More investigations and researches are needed to have a clear idea about the mineral resources on a priority basis and thus, a budgetary allocation can be made for the development of the sector".

"At least Tk 100 crore needs to be allocated every year for exploration of and carrying out research about the natural resources but the annual allocation is very nominal . . . it is less than Tk 5 crore, he said.

GSB, the explorer of the most of the country's mineral resources, has a huge crisis of sophisticated equipment and transports that are ultimately affecting its research and exploration activities.

There are 7,803 million tons of coal stored in five coal mine

Https://www.bssnews.net/news/226202

At last a timeline is being presented to the country.

I’m going to take a much bigger stake in the company then 😀

We really should have stayed above 2.2p. No real reason for the drop imo.

620k buy above the ask too.

This is how to buy a large stake 😌

Results

March / April is good for me 😁

Watch out the Chinese aren’t buying these.

The sooner he’s gone the better 🙌.

Strong bounce on that day 👍

Https://en.prothomalo.com/bangladesh/bangladesh-in-world-media/a6o65tdtmw

Dunno. A lot of filtered green.

I was thinking of buying some more 😌

Https://www.thedailystar.net/business/news/production-barapukuria-coal-mine-may-halt-amid-storage-crisis-3753361