India exports first consignment of coal to Bangladesh

Our Bureau Updated - July 02, 2021 at 06:45 PM.

The first rake of coal about 4,000 tonnes is expected to be unloaded at KPD

An Indian labourer breaks coal into pieces to use in a traditional oven, on the side of a busy road in Kolkata on February 28, 2017. India's economic growth rate fell to seven percent in the third quarter of the financial year after the controversial ban on high-value banks notes in November, the government said. Gross domestic product in one of the world's fastest growing economies expanded 7.0 percent year-on-year in the three months to the end of December, down from 7.3 percent in the previous quarter, official figures showed. / AFP PHOTO / Dibyangshu SARKAR

India exported the first ever consignment of coal from Netaji Subhas Dock (NSD) of SMP (Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port) Kolkata to Bangladesh on July 2.

The coal is sourced from Dhanbad and going to be exported to Rampal Power Station, Khulna in Bangladesh (setup by Bangladesh India Friendship Power Company Ltd which is joint venture between India's NTPC and Bangladesh Power Development Board.)

The first rake of coal about 4,000 tonnes is expected to be unloaded at KPD and dispatched to the captive jetty of the power plant . The exporter of coal is Godavari Commodities and it is handled end to end by ZS logistics, said a press statement issued by the company.

“We expect that about 20,000 tonnes of Indian coal will be sourced from SMP Kolkata to Bangladesh every month,” the release said.

According to Vinit Kumar, Chairman, SMP, Kolkata has been declared a hub of Bangladesh for coal and IWT traffic with various incentives.

As a result, bulk traffic to Bangladesh such as rice exports, sponge iron exports, fly ash and coal for Bangladesh has now reached about seven lakh tonnes a year.

Published on July 2, 2021 12:57