Siege of gas field office today for compensation

File photo of Tengratila gas field blowout in Sunamganj. PHOTO: STAR

They formed a human chain, brought out a procession and held a rally on Friday under the banner of Tengrtaila Dabi Aday Sangram Parishad.

They will lay a siege to the gas filed office for two hours today to press the demands.

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At the rally, speakers gave the authorities a 15-day deadline to meet the demands and threatened of tougher agitation for non-compliance.

The second blowout at Tengratila gas filed in Sunamganj took place on the night of June 24 last year. The blowouts caused extensive damage to the environment and property of local people.

Since the blowouts during drilling of well by Canadian company Niko, affected local people under the banner of Sangram Parishad have been agitating for payment of compensation for the damages.

The authorities could not yet settle payment of compensation for the burnt out gas as well as for the environmental damage though these have been estimated by high level technical committees formed by the government.

However, a gulf company--Al Mansur-- contracted by

Canadian company Niko, withdrew from the gas field on

June 9 after news of its flare tests in the field without Petrobangla permission appeared in the media. During flare test on June 7, flames rose up to 50 feet, creating a panic in the area.

Canadian company Niko resumed well survey in the area in the first week of June.

Local people joined Friday's Sangram Parishad rally wearing black badges, protesting resumption of survey without full payment of compensation.

The rally was presided over by its convener Azim Uddin Ahmed.

Speakers at the rally urged the government to meet the 6-point demand immediately. They alleged that Niko resumed work in the field without giving prior notice to locals.

Agitation will continue till the demands are met, Azimuddin told the Daily Star later.

The demands include payment of Tk 84 crore in compensation for environmental damage, proper compensation for 611 families affected by the blowouts, employment for locals, setting up of a gas-based 50 MW power plant near Tengratila, arrangement for supply of safe drinking water in villages in the area, establishment of a health complex and inclusion of 28 affected families dropped 'intentionally' earlier from the list prepared for compensation.