The India-Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline under construction at Parbatipur in Dinajpur will ensure power and energy security in the northern region, said State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid on Friday. After visiting the project area on Friday afternoon, he gave reporters details about the benefits of the pipeline. The Fellowship Receipt Terminal will be the first modern automatic and computerised system in the country. If something is done in the pipeline on the way or otherwise, the place of automaticity can be identified immediately, he said. Two and a half to three lakh tonness of diesel will be imported annually from Numanigarh Refinery Station in India to Parbatipur Resort Terminal in Dinajpur through a 131.57-km underground pipeline. In addition to reducing the cost, it has created a big ring for fuel security. At least 40,000 litres of fuel have been stored at the terminal and depot for two months. The price of diesel per barrel imported in different ways is $11.50. Because of imports through the pipeline the price will come down to only $ 6. Read more: Fuel import from India through pipeline to start from 2023: PM With the import of diesel in Parbatipur, the supply of fuel will be ensured for cultivation for irrigation pumps in the agriculturally dependent northern region and power plant in Saidpur for the production of electricity. At the end of the 15-year contract, it will either be renewed or run by the government itself. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina are scheduled to inaugurate the supply of fuel to the pipeline through video conferencing on March 18. On September 18, 2018, the two leaders inaugurated the pipeline construction work. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed in this regard on April 9 in 2018.    

State Minister for Power Nasrul Hamid on Monday said that diesel import from India would start through a recently built pipeline on an experimental basis from June. The minister said this in Parliament while replying to a question from Awami League MP Abdul Latif (Chattogram-11). With Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury in the chair, the question-answer session of the day’s sitting was tabled in the House. In a scripted answer, Nasrul Hamid said that about 131.5 km India-Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline (IBFPL) has been constructed for importing diesel from India. Of the 131.5 km pipeline, 126.5 km is in the Bangladesh part and 5 km in the Indian part, the state minister said. Nasrul Hamid also said pre-commissioning of diesel imports through this pipeline is underway. “It is expected that the commissioning of diesel import, meaning that experimental diesel import through the pipeline will start in June, this year,” Nasrul said. In response to another question from AL lawmaker Ali Azam (Bhola-2), Industries Minister Nurul Majid Mahmud Humayun said there are currently 15 sugar mills in the country. Among them, only one is profitable and the remaining 14 are non-profit. Read more: Bangladesh may prefer to import Russian oil via third country In reply to a query from AL MP Mohammad Habib Hasan (Dhaka-18), Nasrul Hamid said it is not possible to resume providing residential gas connections unless the gas supply increases sufficiently and the growing demand for gas in industry, power and fertilizer plants is not reduced. In the context of gradual decline in domestic gas production, giving priority to industry, electricity and fertilizer factories in terms of gas connection is considered essential for the sake of economic mobility, he said. Moreover, due to the rapid increase in the availability and use of LPG at the private level, the provision of new gas connections at the household level has been stopped through circulars. In response to a question from AL lawmaker Nurunnabi Chowdhury (Bhola-3), Nasrul Hamid said currently (June 2022) the amount of gas reserves in the country is 9.06 trillion cubic feet. With this reserve gas, it will be possible to meet the needs of the country for about 11 years. Read more: Fuel import from India through pipeline to start from 2023: PM In reply to a query from AL lawmaker Didarul Alam (Chattogram-4), Information and Broadcasting Minister Hasan Mahmud said that now there are 346 online portals including 162 registered online news portals, 169 registered online portals of dailies and 15 online portals of TV channels.  

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday (November 20, 2022) said fuel import from India through pipeline will start from next year. “Bangladesh wanted to import fuel from India through pipeline, and hopefully it will be done in the next year,” she said. The Prime Minister said this while Assam Legislative Assembly Speaker Biswajit Daimary called on her at her official residence Ganabhaban. He was leading a four-member delegation. PM’s press secretary Ihsanul Karim briefed reporters after the meeting. Read more: Govt working to revise renewable energy policy: Recent primary fuels crisis a reason The 130km India-Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline (IBFPL) project aims to export oil products from the Siliguri Marketing Terminal in West Bengal state to Bangladesh. Sheikh Hasina also said that the border haats between Bangladesh and India, in different parts of the border of the two countries, will resume function as those were stopped during the pandemic. Sheikh Hasina extended thanks to the Assam delegation for the visit and said Bangladesh always wants and promotes good relations with neighbours. Referring to exchange of enclaves with India, she said the two countries resolved many disputes through discussion. Putting emphasis on regional cooperation, she said Nepal, Bhutan and India’s north-eastern states including Assam and Tripura can use Chattogram port and airport, and Syedpur airport for mutual benefits. Sheikh Hasina also pointed out the connectivity routes which were closed during the 1965 India-Pakistan war and said, the routes are being opened in phases. The prime minister also recalled with gratitude the contribution of the north-eastern states of India and West Bengal for sheltering freedom fighters and refugees from Bangladesh during 1971. At the meeting, the Assam Legislative Assembly Speaker said, they had a great experience in Bangladesh and Assam will benefit from cooperation with Bangladesh. The delegation stressed the need for strengthening people to people contact as well as trade and commerce in the region. Biswajit Daimary said, Assam wants cooperation in agriculture sector from the experts of Bangladesh as the country has extensive experience in the sector. Read more: PM seeks Saudi fuel with deferred payment schedule He mentioned that peaceful environment is now prevailing in the north eastern region of India after Bangladesh extended cooperation to this end. The delegation also appreciated Bangladesh’s unprecedented development under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Prime Minister’s Principal Secretary Ahmad Kailuas was present.