Thousands start fast-unto-death for compensation

Thousands of people of 15 villages around Barapukuria Coal Mining Company Ltd (BCMCL) yesterday sat on huger strike until death demanding rehabilitation and compensation for subsidence due to underground mining.
With banners and white cloths symbolising shroud, villagers of all ages started gathering at the entrance of BCMCL since morning. Around noon they took position on a road about 100 metres from the BCMCL gate on strike.
With a magistrate in-charge, a large number of police were deployed in and around the BCMCL area to thwart violence.
Since a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed last May, no progress had been made for meeting their demands, said affected villagers. Their demands include permanent resettlement of affected villagers and compensation for subsidence.
Subsidence at BCMCL project area was first detected in May 2006. The plunging of 646 acres of land affected about 2,600 families.
Sources said the villagers became desperate since January as the BCMCL authorities failed to make any progress on the villagers' demands according to the MoU.
The hunger strikers at the rally demanded that the government consider an increased price of land--at Tk 60 lakh per acre--while deciding about the compensation. They also demanded that BCMCL disclos the survey report on subsidence.
The BCMCL authorities said they have just completed the survey but the price of land was yet to be finalised, as many technical problems are pending. The rehabilitation plan and resettlement framework for the affected families as well as the compensation for land was placed for consideration of the government.
Contacted, Md Quamruzzaman, managing director of BCMCL, said they have already submitted a Tk 324 crore rehabilitation plan for the government to approve.
Earlier on February 28, 2009, the villagers submitted a memorandum to the power adviser thorough Dinajpur deputy commissioner.
A BCMCL source said that an inter-ministerial meeting organised by the power ministry would be held in Dhaka Thursday. State Minister for Power Md Enamul Haque would chair the meeting while Towfiq E-Elahi Chowdhury, adviser to the prime minister, and officials of Petrobangla and secretaries of different ministries would attend the meeting.