Villagers affected by the adverse effects of the country's only underground Barapukuria coal mine have been protesting for a long time demanding compensation.
The residents of Banshpukur Kazipara and Chouhati villages, who have not received compensation due to the delay of the mine authorities, have returned to the protest.
The local residents have hung red flags on the land to prevent the mine authorities from freely entering the land until the land is acquired.
On Sunday (July 13), the flag was hoisted on the land between Chowhati and Banshpukur Kazi Para in Hamidpur Union No. 9, on the east side of the mine.
The program was jointly organized by the Agriculture and Homeland Protection Committee and the Life and Homeland Protection Committee. Hundreds of men and women from the two villages participated in it.
Chaired by Mahmudunnabi Sohan, convener of the Agriculture and Homeland Protection Committee, the meeting was addressed by SM Nuruzzaman Zaman, advisor of the Movement Committee, Salman Mahmud, member secretary of the Agriculture and Homeland Protection Committee, Mahmudunnabi Milon, vice-chairman of the committee, Ataur Rahman, finance advisor of the Life and Homeland Protection Committee, Tuhin, and others.
The speakers said that during the coal mining, we were shown various temptations. The authorities never implemented them. Our houses are cracking due to underground bomb explosions. Crops are being damaged. There is a water crisis underground. We are being harmed. Despite repeated protests, they are wasting time in the name of various false assurances, surveys, investigations, and investigations. They claim that if they want to acquire our land, they will have to do it from us. It is heard that the mining authorities are in cahoots with various political parties. Therefore, we will not allow the mining authorities to enter our land anymore. That is why we have hung the red flag today. Even then, if they enter without our permission, they will be responsible for any untoward incident.
After the speech, the locals hung red flags on the vast unoccupied land of Chowhati and Banshpukur villages, declaring a ban on all entry by the mining authorities.
The villagers said they have been peacefully protesting for a long time with five demands. The demands include compensation for houses damaged due to illegal use of explosives underground, repair of roads in the affected areas, provision of jobs to unemployed children in the affected areas according to their qualifications, development of social and religious institutions in the affected areas from the CRS fund, and elimination of the drinking water crisis in the affected areas.
