The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has assured the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) that it would not evict any exploration project-affected people in Arunachal Pradesh without paying compensation to them.
The Chakma Development Foundation of India (CDFI) filed a complaint on January 20 against the attempted eviction of Chakma and Deori communities from Mudukka Nallah and Sompoi-II villages under Diyun circle of Arunachal Pradesh’s Changlang district for an onshore oil and gas exploration and drilling project.
The CDFI had slammed the State government for planning the eviction “in connivance with” Oil India Limited without paying the affected people fair compensation under the provisions of the Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (LARR) Act, 2013, by claiming the people were staying on forestland.
The foundation said the Chakmas and Deoris living in the two villages for six decades are project-affected families according to Section 3(c) of the LARR Act. This Section pertains to a family whose land or other immovable property has been acquired, or whose members are dependent on forests or water bodies among others.
Following the Petroleum Ministry’s assurance, the NHRC closed the case through an order on August 31.
“This protective order of the NHRC will go a long way to ensure the rights of the project-affected people who are not opposing the oil drilling project per se but are seeking the compensation according to a relevant law, which the Forest Department is denying,” CDFI founder Suhas Chakma said.
