The affected residents of Patrapara area in Dinajpur’s Barapukuria area held a press conference on Sunday, demanding compensation for the cracks in their houses due to the underground coal mining.
They also issued a seven-day ultimatum for realising their demands and sought the intervention of the prime minister and the state minister for power, energy and mineral resources.
Md Muntasir Afsani Munna read a written statement at the press conference held at Patrapara intersection adjacent to Barapukuria coal mine at 11:30am. Local residents Md Mamunur Rashid Mamun, Md Monirmanzzaman, Md Alamgir Hossain, Md Moazzem Hossain Hitler, Md Abul Kalam Azad Nur Mohammad, and Md Kibria spoke among others. About 100 people from the affected areas were present at the press conference.
The speakers deplored that Petrobangla had not implemented the 10-point agreement signed with the locals in 2009.
The locals also demanded that their due compensation for the land acquired by the government be paid immediately.
They alleged that a vested quarter was trying to forcibly occupy their acquired properties in the name of solar projects and demanded the withdrawal of the case filed against some helpless people in the affected area for protesting the occupation.
They said that some people were setting up a fence around the land with the help of local representatives.
They demanded that the solar project activities be suspended until the local lawmaker, Md Mostafizur Rahman Fizar, returned from abroad.