Affected villagers go on hunger strike today
Villagers affected by land subsidence in Barapukuria coal mine area go on a fast unto death today demanding compensation for their land.
They will gather in front of the gate of Barapukuria Coal Mine Company Ltd (BCMCL), in the morning to observe the strike.
About 400 acres of land of 10 villages went under water due to land subsidence and 20 families had to relocate, said leaders of Jibon O Shampad Rakkha Committee, an organisation of the affected people.
Land subsidence around the coal mine was detected in May 2006. In the face of protest against land subsidence, the BCMCL authorities signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in 2009.
According to the MoU, the affected villagers were supposed to be rehabilitated with compensation by December 2009.
The government had allocated Tk 190.53crore as compensation but the authorities were yet to disburse the money to the affected people, said Ibrahim Khalil, convener of the committee.
Members of the committee said the mining authorities used to compensate the villagers from 2006 for the loss they suffered for not being able to grow crops on the subsiding land.
But in the last two seasons, they did not get the compensation money. In the memorandum, the affected people also demanded the money.
Ibrahim Khalil said that on August 27 they submitted a memorandum to the managing director of BCMCL, deputy commissioner of Dinajpur and district superintendent of police, notifying them of the programme.
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