A new layer of granite rock has been discovered at Maddhapara Granite Mine, creating an opportunity of increasing the production by more than two times, said officials. Maddhapara Granite Mining Company Limited (MGMCL) a company of Petrobangla under the Ministry of Power, Energy & Mineral Resources, has discovered the new layer in Dinajpur, MGMCL official said quoting a recent survey report.
ABM Kamruzzaman, Managing Director of MGMCL told Bangladesh Post, “We have completed a feasibility study to produce Maddhapara Granite Stone/Rock in the developed form of granite slab and expansion of mining area for increasing the industrial production. Already a report was submitted to Energy & Mineral Resources division recently.”
“Our main target was to create a new granite slab, however there was big fracture, that’s why it’s not possible. But the survey team told us that it is possible to increase production capacity of granite rock,” he added. Kamruzzaman further said the new layer sits in an area of 2.2 square kilometres, where daily granite extraction will increase to around 11,000 tonnes from existing 5,000 tonnes, by applying room and pillar method.
Official said currently the granite mine is extracting stone using the sub-level open stopping method. The discovery of new granite layer was confirmed a feasibility study for granite slab Preparation and Enhancement of Stone Production by Expansion of Maddhapara Mine. The study was carried out at a cost of taka 4812.39 crore between November, 2017 to October, 2019.
A total of 113.70 million tonnes of granite can be produced from the layer in 40 years, According to the study report. It will take seven years to reach a full production status and 10 years to reach a break-even stage.
In addition, the granite is being used to control flood, construction of coastal and town protection embankment, construction and maintenance of bridges, roads & highways, embankment, river training, railway ballast, high rise buildings, decorated tiles and other heavy construction works.
Maddhapara Granite Mining Company Ltd (MGMCL), the country's sole rock quarry, has earned a profit of Tk7.26 crore for fiscal year 2018-19 after suffering losses for the past decade.The company, which commenced operating from May 15, 2007, used to lift 1,500-1,800 tonnes of stone daily at the beginning, but this gradually went down to 500 tonnes, which resulted in losses of Tk100 crore in the first six years of its operations.
MGMCL official said 1.07 million tonnes of rock was lifted in fiscal 2018-19, from which rocks worth Tk164.14 crore were sold and 600,000 tonnes still remain in stock at the quarry. Currently 700 workers are employed in three shifts using modern machinery to lift 5,000 tonnes of rock daily. The quarry was discovered in 1974 in Dinajpur’s Parbatipur, but commercial rock lifting began in 2007. MGMCL covers an area of 1.2 square kilometres with potential mineable reserves of about 174 million tonnes.