Tengratila victims start 15-day agitation

The demands include compansation from Canadian oil company Niko for all the affected people after inquiry and for the gas burnt out and environmental damage, supply of drinking water in the area, rehabilitation of the affected families and business establishments, shifting of Tengratila High School and Tengratila Primary School to safer places and assurance that such incidents will not take place any more.

The demands were put forward at a press conference held at Sylhet Press Club Saturday evening.

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The agitation programme includes view exchange meetings with professional groups and political leaders in Doarabazar upazila from today, processions and protest rallies in Doarabazar and Chhatak, Sunamaganj district town and in Sylhet city from July 25 to August 2, human chain and mass hunger strike at Tengratila on August 4, and laying a siege to Niko's local office on August 7. A podium will be built at Tengralita on August 5 to hold protest programmes.

Nurul Amin, Joint Convener of the committee, read out a written statement at the press conference, also addressed by freedom fighter Azimuddin Master, Ruhul Amian and Hadi Ahmed Fuad.

They said several thousand families in the five villages have been affected by the fire from blowouts in the gas field on January 7 and June 24. Their croplands are now uncultivable, fruit trees burnt out and other businesses stopped. They were given Tk 5000 per family as 'disturbance allowance with an assutrance that proper compensation would be paid after inquiry.

But as there were flaws in the probe, they informed the matter to the Environment Secretary, but to no effect, they said.

Moreover, arsenic has contaminated the tubewell water after the blowouts, which has been admitted by officials.

Waterbodies in the area which were earlier full of fishes, are now deplete, they claimed. Education of children is being greatly affected. The pass percentage in this year's SSC examination in Tengratila High School was 58 against 86 last year due to the fallout effect, they said. The high school and the primary school have been shifted to temporary locations.

Sixty-six shops at Tengratila bazaar near the gas field have been close down.

During agitation, the Sunamganj Deputy Commissioner at a meeting assured them of preparing a fair list of the affected people. But he forgot everything when we stopped agitation, they said.

The authorities are now trying to use force against them in the name of controlling the situation, they also alleged.

Police charged batons on protesters when the Sunamganj Bachao Andolon, a citizens' body, called a hartal, they further alleged.