MITHI: Residents of Gorano and about a dozen other Thar villages protesting against the construction of a reservoir meant for temporarily storing mine effluent have rejected the fresh move to conduct a survey of the site and an offer to pay compensation to the people who had not been paid due compensation for their lands earlier.

The reservoir — to be spread over an area of 1,500 acres — had become controversial ever since the construction work on its site was started several months ago, with the residents of Gorano and other villages expressing their fear that the effluent to be stored in it would destroy their arable lands and the environment, besides causing heavy damage to the desert region’s ecology. The villagers also fear the spread of diseases badly affecting human and animal health.

After many abortive attempts over the past five months to allay the villagers’ apprehensions, the Sindh Engro Coal Mining Com­pany (SECMC) that is executing the project, on Monday came out with an offer to pay suitable compensation to those who had not been paid the cost of their lands, to be used in the project, for not having proper documents.

Top executives of the firm, along with Tharparkar district revenue officials, told villagers present on Monday at the site that they were starting a survey of the lands to be used for the construction of the reservoir and that the leftover landowners would also get suitable compensation.

The survey team comprised Islamkot Assistant Commissioner Shakeel Khan along with his subordinate officials and SECMC executives Fayyaz Soomro, Mohsin Babar, Haris Siddiqui and others.

They held a meeting with the residents of Gorano and other villages including petitioner Lakho Bheel who has filed a suit in the Sindh High Court against the reservoir. Local government representatives of the area were also present.

A press statement issued by the firm said that experts from the revenue department at Mirpurkhas including Aijaz Leghari and Haris Khan would encamp in Gorano village to help ally apprehensions of the villagers and facilitate the process of compensation. It said the affected villagers would be able to visit and file claims for compensation at the two-week camp.

However, advocate Bheemraj, Lakho Bheel, Abdul Hameed and other activists spearheading a campaign against the project for more than five months told Dawn that the fresh move by the revenue officials and SECMC executives was prompted by their failure in satisfying the SHC, which had sought a report of the survey supposed to be conducted before executing any such project.

“They are now making desperate attempts to woo the protesting villagers because the mandatory survey had never been carried out,” said advocate Bheemraj.

He said that in the Monday meeting, the visiting team was asked to produce a map or layout plan of the reservoir so that it could be established that the reservoir would be restricted to just 1,500 acres.

Advocate Leela Ram termed the fresh move an eyewash and “fraud” with the villagers. He said the fresh offers came when they failed to satisfy court during the previous proceedings.

Published in Dawn, April 11th, 2017