Due to coal extraction at the Barapukuria mine, houses in Patrapara village have been experiencing tremors, land subsidence, and cracks in various places.
On Thursday, the Village Homestead Protection Committee held a press conference at Patrapara Bazar under Hamidpur Union of the upazila, alleging that these problems were caused by coal mining activities.
The villagers demanded compensation and immediate remedial measures for the damages. They also warned that if their demands are not met within a week, they would launch a movement.
Led by the committee’s president, Nur Mohammad Abul Kalam Azad, more than 300 men and women from Patrapara village attended the press conference.
During the briefing, villagers stated that continuous land subsidence was occurring due to underground coal extraction. Roads have also deteriorated severely.
They said that people had initially hoped the coal mine would bring development to the area, but instead, it has brought constant fear and anxiety. Frequent tremors have caused hundreds of houses to crack. Tube wells have dried up, and the roads in Patrapara are in disrepair.
Because of the artificial tremors caused by mining, it has become difficult for families to live safely in their homes. Panic has spread among all households.
The villagers demanded immediate repair of cracked houses, restoration of damaged roads, resolution of the water crisis, employment opportunities for educated locals, allocation of land for mosques and graveyards, and the provision of safe drinking water for 1,500 families living in Patrapara village.
The committee’s general secretary Mamunur Rashid Mamun, Helena Rashid, acting principal of Barapukuria School and College, Abdur Salam, Marjina Akter, Mohammad Hossain, and others were present at the event.