Jamuna Sarkarkhana (JFCL), the country's largest and only granular urea producer located at Tarakandi in Sarishabari Upazila of Jamalpur district, has been closed for 4 months. Valuable parts are being perished due to gas shortages and idle factories. Meanwhile, the workers and residents of the area have held several human chains, protest marches and rallies to demand gas supply and production in the factory.
According to JFCL sources, on June 21 of this year, the shutdown (shutdown) took place due to the reduction of gas pressure in the factory. In this, only nitrogen production continues, but ammonia and urea fertilizer production is completely stopped. According to reliable sources, the gas supply company Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Co. stopped the supply of gas without any notice or informing the Jamuna Sarkarkhana authorities. Thousands of laborers, dependent on daily income, and transport workers have lost their jobs and are living a miserable life as fertilizer production has stopped. The JFCL Sramik-Karmachari Union (CBA) staged a human chain last Saturday morning to demand the production of the factory. After an hour-long human chain inside the factory, a procession and rally was held in front of the administration building.
CBA leaders said that urea production is not possible due to lack of gas supply, which has left the factory idle for four months. On the one hand, valuable parts are wasted, on the other hand, thousands of workers who depend on daily income are losing their jobs and living an inhumane life. If the government supplies gas on a rationing system, the factories will be saved from going out of business forever.
Engineer Fazlul Haque, plant manager (ammonia) and General Secretary of Officers Welfare Association, said that 40 mm cf of gas is required for full production of the factory. But without production, 5.3m of gas is needed to keep the factory running normally. If the gas pressure drops to 5.2 m, the ammonia storage tank will freeze. There is a fear that the tank will become useless forever and the factory will be closed.
In this regard, the General Manager (Production) of the factory, Abdul Hakim, said that if the government does not supply gas, it is not possible to start the production. However, it is not possible to say when the gas will be available.
