NEW DELHI, 27 Jan: Releasing its ‘fact-finding report’ based on a visit to Moddak Nallah village in Diyun circle of Changlang district in view of the eviction of the Chakmas there for oil drilling by Oil India Ltd (OIL), the Chakma and Hajongs Elders Forum (CHEF) condemned OIL “for trying to evict the Chakmas and Deoris without consulting the victims from Mudokka Nallah and Sompoi II villages.”
The fact-finding team interviewed 13 potential victims of eviction in Mudokka Nallah village and held meetings with the villagers, the CHEF said.
The CHEF report expressed serious concern over the meeting conducted on 17 January in the office of the Diyun EAC for a preliminary discussion to “work out a solution for implementing the oil drilling work at Kup and Kul under Ningru PML at Sompoi II village and Mudokka Nallah.”
“In the said meeting, all but the project-affected persons of Muddoka Nallah village were invited. The Chakmas invited by the EAC of Diyun do not reside or belong to Mudokka Nallah and Sompoi II villages and they are not project-affected persons.
Further, Dilip Kumar Chakma, a resident of Dhumpani, who was invited to the meeting, cannot certify about the status of the village or the rights and contentions of the project-affected persons,” stated the CHEF report.
The CHEF said its team noted that “there are clear attempts by the state government of Arunachal Pradesh, ministry of petroleum and gas and the Oil India Ltd to avoid acquisition of the lands from the owners who are also the current occupants under the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (LARR) Act, 2013.”
In its recommendations, the CHEF urged the local authorities and OIL to “stop any engagement with persons who are neither affected persons nor residents of Moddoka Nallah village and ensure that proper proceedings under the LARR Act be initiated should there be any requirement for acquisition of land of any person(s).
