Threat to besiege coalmine for indefinite period
Thousands of people of 15 villages around Barapukuria Coal Mine have threatened fresh agitation to realise their demands for rehabilitation and compensation for subsidence due to underground mining.
Jibon O Sampad Rakkha Committee, a platform of the affected villagers, submitted a memorandum to the authorities of Barapukuria Coal Mine Company Limited (BCMCL) on July 12 to meet their demands by July 15. Otherwise, they threatened to besiege the coalmine for an indefinite period from July 19.
The affected villagers went on hunger strike on March 10 this year to press home their demands for resettlement and compensation for subsidence. The called off their strike following an assurance given by the authorities concerned that compensation would be given to the affected villagers by March 30.
Jibon O Sampad Rakkha Committee Convenor Md Ibrahim Khalil said,"We have given the ultimatum to the BCMCL authorities as they are yet to start giving compensation to the affected people."
People 15 affected villages including Kalupara, Bolorampur, Baddyanathpur, Barapukuria and Moupukur have been agitating for last two years demanding their permanent resettlement and compensation for subsidence due to underground mining.
Sources said the villagers launched agitation programme in January this year as the BCMCL authorities failed to make any progress on the villagers' demands according to the MoU signed in May last year. They also held rallies and sit-ins demanding compensation and their rehabilitation.
Since a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed in May last year, no progress had been made for meeting the demands, the affected villagers alleged.
On February 28, 2009, the affected villagers submitted a memorandum to the power adviser thorough Dinajpur deputy commissioner. Subsidence at BCMCL project area was first detected in May 2006. The plunging of 646 acres of land affected about 2,600 families.
Ibrahim Khalil and Belal Hossain, convener and general secretary of Jibon O Sampad Rakkha Committee, said this time they would not return home empty-handed. They said the BCMCL and Petrobangla have been given enough time to resolve the issue, but to no effect.
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