Bashundhara builds Bangladesh’s biggest bitumen plant
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Bashundhara Group has create the country's biggest bitumen plant in Keraniganj with an gross annual production capacity of an impressive 9 lakh tonnes for $143.7 million, in a development that can be seen as emblematic of the business giant's ambitions.
Bitumen is a hydrocarbon-based substance used to build roads and highways. Currently, 90 % of Bangladesh's gross annual demand for 5 lakh tonne of bitumen is met by imports.
"Now, we won't need to import bitumen. Bashundhara can export the surplus after fulfilling domestic demand," said Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal yesterday at the inauguration of the plant located on 65 acres in Pangaon area of Keraniganj.
The prospects for the plant, that is a subsidiary of Bashundhara Coal and oil Company, are bright given Bangladesh's development goals.
With major construction and repairs of 22,000 kilometres of roads and highways beneath the Roads and Highways Department ongoing, local demand for the material is increasing.
Besides, of the 354,000kms of undeveloped roads beneath the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED), 105,000kms have been completely upgraded to paved streets.
Moreover, the government is expanding all national highways from four to six lanes. This includes district level roads, that the application of bitumen has increased about 10 to 15 % annually.
With the standard requirements set by engineers given utmost priority, the premium quality Bashundhara bitumen product has penetration values of 60/70 and 80/100 and will come in various grades: scale back, emulsified, oxidised and polymer modified.
Other than meeting the neighborhood demand, Bashundhara plans to penetrate the international market for bitumen products by 2021.
The bitumen plant provides a product that's better fitted to the construction of roads and highways, in line with the finance minister.
"The space of roads in our country is short. The roads are damaged during rainy seasons as imported bitumen will not suit the elements. Now, Bashundhara Group will process bitumen that suits environment conditions," Kamal added.
The brand new factory will directly benefit thousands by creating jobs, said Nasrul Hamid, state minister for power, energy and mineral resources.
He also appreciated Bashundhara's initiative to improve investment in the country and create jobs.
"Bashundhara is an exemplory case of true entrepreneurship," Hamid added.
The group has generated 30 factories and two major housing projects in the united states, said Ahmed Akbar Sobhan, chairman of Bashundhara.
"Bangladesh's economy has developed in the last five years as there have been no strikes for an individual day. This fuelled robust economical growth," said Sobhan, adding that Bashundhara will create a school in the region within one-and-a-half-years to supply quality education to locals.
M Shamim Z Bosunia, a specialist on structural engineering, and Shahin Ahmed, upazila chairman of Keraniganj, also addressed the programme.
Source: https://www.thedailystar.net