Barapukuria Coal Mine
Affected villagers reject compensation scheme
The land subsidence affected people around Barapukuria Coal Mine Company Ltd (BCMCL) yesterday rejected the Tk 191crore compensation scheme that was okayed by the Ecnec on Wednesday.
At a press conference held at Dinajpur Press Club, the villagers under the banner of 'Barapukuria Bhumi O Sampad Rakkha Committee', a breakaway faction of Barapukuria Jibon O Sampad Rakkha Committee, said the allocated fund is not enough for their compensation while the scheme does not have any resettlement proposal for the affected villagers.
Md Ibrahim Khalil, convener of Jibon O Sampad Rakkha Committee, however, hailed the government decision for allocating Tk 191crore for the affected people.
At yesterday's press conference, Md Bulbul Ahmed, adviser of Barapukuria Bhumi O Sampad Rakkha Committee', read out the keynote in presence of other members of the committee and a good number of affected villagers.
Rejecting compensation of Tk 20 lakh for per acre of farmland and Tk 25 lakh for per acre of home and commercial lands, speakers at the conference demanded compensation of Tk 35 lakh for per acre of farmland and Tk 1 crore for home and commercial land.
Besides, proposed compensation of Tk 2 lakh for each of over three hundred landless, poor and vulnerable marginal farmers of the affected area is not enough for their resettlement, they said.
The villagers said at least 3,000 people of seven villages including Kalupara, Patigram, Jigagari, Moupukur, Barapukuria, Bashpukur, and Balarampur have been badly affected due to land subsidence following the coal production.
They said Petrobangla, the parent organisation of BCMCL, at its 116th board meeting held in the capital on July 16 in 2009 decided to take a Tk 312 crore project for resettlement and compensation of the affected villagers.
But mysteriously the Tk 191crore compensation project has been approved, they alleged.
Demanding compensation according to 'international standard', the affected people warned of greater movement if their demand for compensation of 35 lakh for per acre of farmland Tk 1crore for each acre of home and commercial land is not met.
The land subsidence was first detected in May 2006, coalmine sources said.
The villagers have been agitating since early last year demanding compensation.
"Under the project of 'Relocation and Rehabilitation of the Villagers' within the zone of influence of Barapukuria Coal Mine, 406 affected families of eight villages will receive Tk 20 and 25 lakh for per acre of farming and home lands respectively. At least 646 acres of land will come under the compensation programme," said BCMCL Managing Director Engineer Md Quamruzzaman.
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