Coal supply mystery
We are going to import coal for our new electric generation station (press report). Why import coal when we have about two billion tons of usable untapped coal deposits in Bangladesh?
Barapukuria could meet to a large extent our shortage of natural gas; but mysterious agitations are going on there for decades. The government has to explain to the masses clearly the reasons for not encouraging coal production. Open pit mining is not a new technology. In national development projects, displacements and movements are a norm (for better facilities); but here we find a mindset to oppose any type of change (due to political lethargy). The official PR (public relations) is poor; causing misunderstanding of the official policy on the deliberate slowing down of coal production.
The media is full of political news; and the technical aspects of projects are not explained to the readers in popular technical language. Of course political pressures are there, both internal and external. We have the inset tendency to oppose anything new--we love to live in the past, and our political development is negative.
Today, due to energy shortage, and lack of political consensus at the national level, the attraction for foreign investment is declining. Besides, we are living in isolation with our neighbours--there are no development plans for regional trade (or it does not work [SAARC or SAFTA}).
Our political thinking lacks depth and long-term goals. Are we content to lead only in the LDC field? We talk glibly about growth rate above seven per cent, but politically fail in field work and technical consensus.
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