After 33 months, the authorities have lifted restrictions on the Barapukuria Coal Mine in Dinajpur as the outbreak of Covid-19 has come down to zero. Along with that, the main gate of the mine has also been opened.
This decision came into effect from Saturday evening, Barapukuria Coal Mine Managing Director (MD) Engineer Saiful Islam Sarkar confirmed the matter on Sunday.
According to coal mining sources, the mining authority issued Covid restrictions in this mine on March 8, 2020. At the same time, the government announced a lockdown in the country.
Although the lockdown was officially lifted, restrictions remained at the coal mine. Workers who came from home had to be quarantined for 15 days. After doing three to four tests, they could join work.
After joining work, they could no longer return home and stay in the rest house inside the coal mine. Workers could get leave again after three months. This caused a lot of trouble for the workers.
Zakir Hussain, president of Barapukuria Workers Union, said that the main gate of the mine was closed due to the global Covid restrictions. The gate was opened only on special instructions.
