Phulbari
Celebrations all around, but doubt about govt pledge
Bishawjit Das and Kangkon Karmaker, from Phulbari
Phulbari people yesterday celebrated victory of their movement even though there was an air of doubt among them if the government would actually fulfil their demands which it agreed to on Wednesday night.Normalcy came to the upazila town, nearly 40km east of Dinajpur, after the government signed the memorandum with National Committee to Protect Oil, Gas, Mineral Resources and Electricity-Port. All the upazila administrative offices, markets, banks and other institutions and road and railway communications were opened yesterday morning. In spite of being happy with their victory, the leaders and locals still doubt if the government would be sincere enough to fulfil their six-point demand it agreed to meet on Wednesday night. "I still don't believe the government agreed to meet the six-point demand we had bargained for," the Phulbari committee unit convenor, along with many others said yesterday expressing their surprise. Thousands of people yesterday brought out colourful processions on the streets of the town dancing and singing and beating drums. They squirted each other with coloured water. "We took oath not to leave the streets until Asia Energy left the land, but could not imagine this would come so early… which makes us a bit dubious," said Manik Sarker, a local leader and secretary of Banik Samity of the town. A few of the leaders, who gained fame and popularity among the 22,000 voters in the municipality, are thinking about contesting the next municipality and local administration elections. Around 5,000 people attended the victory procession and the rally that took place at the government college ground at noon yesterday. The rally observed a minute's silence for the deceased in Bangladesh Rifles firing on August 26. Locals and leaders of the National Committee to Protect Oil, Gas, Mineral Resources and Electricity-Port spoke in the rally. Bangladesh Communist Party President Monjurul Islam Khan, Central Coordinator of Gonofront Tipu Biswas also attended the rally and expressed their gratitude to the people of Phulbari and its adjacent area for forcing the government to bow to people's demands. The leaders urged the people to be alert so that no more companies like Asia Energy can take their lands. Locals announced the names of missing people in loudspeakers in the municipality areas yesterday. The committee members however are yet to prepare a list of the missing.
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