'Bashundhara Bitumen Plant to produce quality bitumen'

Bashundhara Bitumen Plant will produce quality bitumen which will help to reduce the country's dependence on imported bitumen, Roads and Highways Department officials and experts said.

Bashundhara Bitumen Plant has a huge potential to export its products after meeting local demands, they added, said a press release. Top officials of Roads and Highways Department lauded the efforts of Bashundhara Group during a field visit to the Bashundhara Bitumen Plant, a concern of Bashundhara Oil and Gas Company Ltd, at Konda, Pangaon of South Keraniganj on Saturday.

Additional Chief Engineer (technical services wing) of Roads and Highways Department Dr Md Abdullah Al Mamun and Bangladesh Road Research Laboratory of Roads and Highways Department director Md Ahsan Habib led the 13-member delegation. After a thorough visit of the bitumen plant, Abdullah Al Mamun said Bashundhara Bitumen plant has the capacity of producing all sorts of bitumen products required for low and high traffic roads in the country. "There is a scope of adulteration in imported bitumen at the carrying and handling stages. If we get bitumen products from domestic sources, it would be possible to ensure quality control of the products and road infrastructure as well," said Abdullah Al Manun. Bitumen expert Dr Nazmus Sakib, who is also an assistant professor of Islamic University of Technology (IUT), was included in the delegation.  

 Bitumen expert Dr Nazmus Sakib also expressed hope that Bangladesh will become self-reliant in bitumen once Bashundhara Bitumen comes into production. "Bashundhara Bitumen is coming into operation with the state-of-art technologies. I believe that the quality control of bitumen will be easier," said Dr Nazmus who did PhD in bitumen.  Country's first-ever private sector Bitumen Plant was launched on February 22, aiming to cater to the growing demand for bitumen in the country. In addition to producing commonly used penetration grades road bitumen, Bashundhara Bitumen has the facility to produce premium modified grades of bitumen upon demand.

SOURCE : The Asian Age