Chapter 6

• Opening of Construction of First Ever Underground Coal Mine of Bangladesh – Barapukuria Coal Mine in Dinajpur in June 1994.
• Engr Abul KM Shamsuddin, Petroleum & Mining Consultant, the then General Manager, Mineral Division, PETROBANGLA was associated with the Construction of the Mine.
• Begum Khaleda Zia, the then Prime Minister of Bangladesh, opened the construction of the Mine by switching on the button on 24th June 1994.
• Some Pictures are attached on Opening of Construction of Barapukuria Coal Mine.

Brief Report on Barapukuria Coal Deposit

• The Barapukuria Coal Deposit is located in the north western part of Bangladesh, about 50km south-east of Dinajpur district and about 20km east of India border. 
• The Barapukuria Coal Deposit is located in the north-western part of Bangladesh, between 25° 21‟ 00” N & 25° 34‟ 00” N and 88° 57‟ 00” E & 88° 59‟ 00” E, about 50 km southeast of the district headquarters of Dinajpur and about 20 km east of the border with India.
• The main north-south broad gauge railway line passes to the immediate west of the project area and the towns and railway stations of Phulbari and Parbatipur are located 6 km to the south and 20 km to the north respectively. The Maddhapara hard rock project site is about 10 km to the east.
•  The mine field is a part of alluvial plain formed between River Ganges and River Jamuna. Relief of the area is flat with surface elevation varying between +29 m and +32 m. The surface gently slopes from north to south.
• The Barapukuria coal deposit is presently being worked by underground mining method for a rated production of 1 Mtpa by Barapukuria Coal Mining Company Ltd. (BCMCL), a subsidiary of Petrobangla. The mine is being operated by China National Machinery Import & Export Corporation (CMC) on contract basis. Presently only the thick VI seam is being worked in the mine by mechanized longwall technology with caving.
• The first slice has already been worked out by adopting conventional longwall mining. Now the 2nd slice is being worked out by adopting Longwall Top Coal Caving Method (LTCC).