Victims start 3-day fresh agitation

They held a protest rally and brought out a procession in Tengratila yesterday afternoon and will lay a siege to the gas filed office today.

The agitating villages will hand over memoranda to the Sunamganj Deputy Commissioner and the Police Superintendent tomorrow.

The agitation programme was fixed at a meeting of the Tengratila Dabi Aday Sangram Parishad, held on Thursday.

Freedom fighter Azimuddin Master, Convener of the Parishad, chaired yesterday's rally, held at Tengratila bazaar near the gas field office.

Speakers at the rally said the environment and ecology of the area have been badly damaged by a the blowouts on January 7 and June 24 last year due to negligence by the drilling company.

They said they want measures in the light of reports of the government-formed high level probe bodies, which conducted inquiry after the blowouts.

The Canadian company has been trying to evade payment of compensation money to affected villagers by shifting the blame on the government. No conspiracy or tricks of Niko will be able to deprive the affected people of their just demands, they said.

The 6-point demand includes immediate payment of Tk 84 crore in compensation for environmental loss, proper compensation to the 611 families affected by the blowouts, employment for locals in the gas field work, establishment of a gas-based 50 MW power plant near Tengratila, steps for supply of safe water to affected villages, establishment of a health complex in the area and inclusion of 28 affected families who were earlier dropped 'intentionally' from the compensation list.