Ministry of Petroleum, Natural Gas assures NHRC no eviction of Chakmas, Deoris without paying compensation

New Delhi: The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has assured the National Human Right Commission (NHRC) that no forceful eviction is to be made without paying compensation to the affected persons in the matter pertaining to the alleged forcible eviction of the Chakmas and Deoris communities in Changlang district of Arunachal Pradesh for the "Onshore Oil and Gas exploration".

Earlier, NHRC in its order dated August 31, 2022, closed the complaint against the alleged forcible eviction of the Chakmas and Deoris, from Mudokka Nallah and Sompoi-II villages under Diyun Circle of Changlang district of Arunachal Pradesh for the "Onshore Oil and Gas exploration and development and drilling and production in Ningru Oil and Gas field in districts of Changlang and Namsai for Ningru PML Block by M/S Oil India Ltd" after the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas informed the NHRC that "no forceful eviction to be made without paying compensation to the affected persons. Action be taken in accordance with the law." If dissatisfied with the action taken, the complainant is free to take recourse to appropriate legal proceedings. The case is closed with the direction above, said the NHRC.

Meanwhile, the Chakma Development Foundation of India (CDFI) filed a complaint on 20 January 2022, against the attempted eviction of the Chakmas and Deoris by the State government in connivance with the Oil India Ltd Company without paying fair compensation under the provisions of the Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013, by claiming the lands as a forest with the aim not to pay fair compensation and rehabilitation as requires under the LARR Act.

The CDFI stated that the Chakma and Deori families are "project affected families" as per section 3(c) of LARR Act. Section 3(c) of the LARR Act states that an affected family includes a family whose land or another immovable property has been acquired; a family which does not own any land but a member or members of such family may be agricultural labourers, tenants including any form of tenancy or holding of usufruct right, share-croppers or artisans or who may be working in the affected area for three years prior to the acquisition of the land, whose primary source of livelihood stand affected by the acquisition of land; a family whose primary source of livelihood for three years prior to the acquisition of the land is dependent on forests or water bodies and includes gatherers of forest produce, hunters, fisher folk and boatmen and such livelihood is affected due to acquisition of land.

However, for decades, Moddaka Nallah resided by the Chakma tribes and Sompoi-II village was resided by the Deori tribes. The Chakmas have been settled in the Moddaka Nallah village in 1966 and the Governor of Arunachal Pradesh vide Arunachal Pradesh Gazette dated 31 August 2006 renamed Moddaka Nallah village as Modduknong, stated complainant.

"This protective order of the NHRC will go a long way to ensure the rights of the project-affected Chakmas and Deoris. The project-affected families are not opposing the oil drilling project per se but seeking the compensation as per the LARR Act which the Forest Department is denying as it seeks the compensation for itself which is illegal and unfortunate," stated Suhas Chakma, Founder of the CDFI in a statement. (ANI)