Deadline by Land Subsidence Victims
Meet demands by Dec 25, or face tougher agitation
Land subsidence victims around the Barapukuria Coal Mine Company Ltd (BCMCL) have threatened to go for fast unto death if the compensation money and rehabilitation package are not handed over by December 25 this year.
'If our demands are not met within the deadline, we will start fast unto death on January 2 next year. Besides, we will launch a Tetulia-to-Teknaf road march to realise the demands', said Md. Ibrahim Khalil, convener of Jibon O Sampad Rakkha Committee, a platform of land subsidence victims.
The ultimatum was issued yesterday at a press conference here at Barapukuria Bazar in presence of scores of affected people.
Md. Belal Hossain, general secretary of Jibon O Sampad Rakkha Committee read out the demands.
The land subsidence victims alleged that the AL government had assured the affected people of rehabilitating them.
The Executive Committee for National Economic Council (Ecnec) granted a Tk. 190cr package for the victims in November last year, and the money was deposited with Janata Bank on April 5 this year, they said.
Since then the deputy commissioner office so far disbursed cheques for Tk. 55cr among the affected people.
But most of the cheques are yet to be collected by local banks while disbursement of the compensation for environmental damages is yet to start, villagers said.
They also alleged that the BCMCL authorities had pledged to give jobs to the affected people at the company during their agitation. But they are yet to take any step in this regard, the victims said.
The affected people also alleged that the officials and staffs at Dinajpur deputy commissioner office have been harassing them since the start of distribution of compensation cheques on September 22 this year.
Deputy Commissioner Jamal Uddin Ahmed, however, brushed aside the allegation of harassment.
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