No rail tracks yet for coal supply to plant

The coal to be extracted from the mine will be used in the Boropuluria thermal power plant.

The earthwork from Bhabanipur and Maddhyapara and the loading yard at Boropukuria have however been completed.

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The work is being done by Korean firm CMC, which, in the middle of last year gave a contract to Bangladesh Railway to build the railway lines. The Railway selected a Rajshahi-based firm through tender to supply boulders and slippers for the track.

Work on track laying has not been started as these are yet to reach in the site though those were suppose to be supplied by December last year, sources said.

Fifteen hundred steel slippers and 46,000 cft boulders will be needed, they said.

Sources at the coal mine project told this correspondent that at least two months would be needed to import stones and slippers from India.

Railway officials however said wooden slippers, now in stock, could be used if steel slippers are not available in time.

The Divisional Engineer of Railway's Western Zone-1 however told this correspondent that track laying all other related work will be completed before coal extraction begins.

The Boropukuria coal mine project is scheduled to be completed next month. It will produce 3300 tonnes of coal a day. A major portion of the coal will be consumed for power generation.

Sources said work is being delayed also because of labour unrest in the project. Labourers are demanding permanent jobs, but the authorities are reluctant, they said.