More than hundred brick kilns are struggling in Chandpur district because of acute coal supply shortage. Brick field owners are counting losses everyday as coal production is suspended for an indefinite period.
Kiln owners said every year about 900 metric tonnes of coal is needed for more than hundred brick fields of Faridganj, Shahrasti, Matlab, Hajiganj, Kachua and Haimchar upazila of the district. The demand of coal is usually met by importing coal from India. But since India suspended the coal export, kiln owners have been facing an acute crisis.
Owner of Sukodi Bricks Field of Faridganj upazila told the Dhaka Tribune that he has been waiting for several months for coal. “All the preparation has been done and I have been paying 600 employees. If I could get coal, I could have started producing bricks long back.”
He further said the price for imported coal per tonne was Tk9,000 last year, local coal was even cheaper. “But nowadays coal is almost unavailable. Though there is a small amount of local coal up for sale, it is sold at Tk13,000 to Tk16,000 for a tonne. It is not possible to run a brick field by buying coal at such a high price.”
Director of SP Brick Field Anisur Rahman said they were already facing loss because of the unsold bricks from last year. So the on going coal shortage is a double burden for them.
Hannan Mia of Munshirhat Brick Field said: “If the coal crisis is not resolved by importing coal from India in an emergency basis, many of the fields will face closure, ultimately affecting the construction industry of the country.”
Coal is mainly imported through Tamabil, Bholaganj, Sutarkandi, Barchara, Charagoan and Bogla borders of Sylhet. But following a law suit filed by Meghalayan environmentalists group, coal import from India was stopped on May 16, 2014.
