Maddhapara Granite Mining Company Limited

Maddhapara Granite Mining Company Limited (Bengali: মধ্যপাড়া গ্রানাইট মাইনিং কোম্পানি লিমিটেড) is a Bangladesh government owned granite mining company owned by Petrobangla.[1]

Maddhapara Granite Mining Company Limited
AbbreviationMGMCL
Formation1998
TypeGovernment Organization
HeadquartersDinajpur, Bangladesh
Region served
Bangladesh
Official language
Bengali
Parent organization
Petrobangla
Websitemgmcl.org.bd

History

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The Geological Survey of Bangladesh discovered granite deposits in Dinajpur District in 1974.[2] SNC-Lavalin carried out a feasibility study on the site, and Nippon Koei Co., Ltd. published a detailed study.[2] The government of Bangladesh signed an agreement with the government of North Korea.[2] Petrobangla gave a turnkey contract to M/S Korea South South Corporation Corporation of North Korea to develop the Maddhapara Granite Rock Mine Project site.[2] The project became Maddhapara Granite Mining Company Limited on 4 August 1998.[2] On 25 May 2007, the North Korean company handed over the project to Maddhapara Granite Mining Company Limited which started operating the mine from 27 May 2007.[2]

By July 2010, the Maddhapara Granite Mining Company Limited had 930 million taka with 240 million lost in 2009 alone.[3]

In September 2015, the company stopped mining due to a shortage of equipment leaving one thousand workers without work.[4]

Maddhapara Granite Mining Company Limited signed an agreement with Germania-Trest Consortium to develop the site further on 14 February 2014.[2][5] The contractor performance was unsatisfactory and the companies had to go to an international tribunal to settle their disputes.[5] Germania-Trest Consortium is a joint venture between Germania Corporation Limited, a Bangladeshi company, and JSC TrestShakhtosPetsstroy, a Belarusian company.[5] The tenure of the company was extended by one year in February 2020.[5] The tender to appoint a new contractor was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh.[6] The mine was closed for six months due to the pandemic in 2020.[7] Delays over a new contract led to a significant slowdown in production in August 2021 leading to more than one thousand trucks waiting to take rocks from the mine.[8]

The company made a profit for the first time since it was founded from the 2018-2019 fiscal year at 70 million taka.[9][10] The rock production had exceeded all expectations in 2018.[11] In 2019, Barapukuria Coal Mining Company Limited managing director MD Fazlur Rahman was made the managing director of Maddhapara Granite Mining Company Limited.[12]

The company made a profit of 220 million taka the 2019-2020 fiscal year.[9]

In March 2022, Maddhapara Granite Mining Company Limited stopped mining activities due to a shortage of ammonium nitrate explosives.[13] Production resumed on 28 March and stopped again on 1 May due to the lack of explosives.[14] The company is responsible for supplying mega projects of the government.[13] The dealers of the company were charging a high price for the rocks than the rate set by the company.[1]

Board of directors

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References

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  1. ^ a b Karmaker, Kongkon (2022-03-10). "Hard-rock dealers violating contract". The Daily Star. Retrieved 2022-07-14.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g "Company Background". Maddhapara Granite Mining Company Limited. 26 April 2021. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
  3. ^ "Granite mine slides into heavy losses". The Daily Star. 2011-06-04. Retrieved 2022-07-14.
  4. ^ "Maddhapara Stone Mine production suspension hits 1,000 workers". Dhaka Tribune. 2016-12-16. Retrieved 2022-07-14.
  5. ^ a b c d "Madhyapara hard-rock mine: 'Low-performing' contractor's tenure extended". The Financial Express. Retrieved 2022-07-14.
  6. ^ "Maddhapara hard rock mine faces uncertainty as operator's contract expires on Sept 2". Dhaka Tribune. 2021-08-30. Retrieved 2022-07-14.
  7. ^ "Mining at Maddhapara resumes after 5 months". The Daily Star. 2020-08-16. Retrieved 2022-07-14.
  8. ^ Karmaker, Kongkon (2021-08-26). "Delay of contract renewal affects mine production; sales dropped as stock plunges". The Daily Star. Retrieved 2022-07-14.
  9. ^ a b "After 11 years of losses, Maddhapara mining company turns profitable". UNB. Retrieved 2022-07-14.
  10. ^ "Maddhapara mining company turns profitable after 11 years of losses". New Age. Retrieved 2022-07-14.
  11. ^ "Rock production in Dinajpur exceeds expectations". Dhaka Tribune. 2018-03-04. Retrieved 2022-07-14.
  12. ^ "Barapukuria MD declared unwanted by employees". The Daily Star. 2019-07-18. Retrieved 2022-07-14.
  13. ^ a b "Rock mining at Maddhapara suspended over lack of explosives". The Business Standard. 2022-03-12. Retrieved 2022-07-14.
  14. ^ "Production of rock halted since May 1". The Daily Star. 2022-05-08. Retrieved 2022-07-14.
  15. ^ a b c d e f g মধ্যপাড়া গ্রানাইট মাইনিং কোম্পানি লিমিটেড. mgmcl.org.bd. Retrieved 2022-07-14.