Affected villagers receive house keys, registration papers from PM

People of Dhankhali village affected due to land acquisition for Payra 1320MW Thermal Power Plant Project under Patuakhali District received keys of houses and registration papers from Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday.
Just two years back Dhankhali in Kalapara of Patuakhali was nothing but a barren low land with a handful of houses. But now there is activity, there is a huge structure of 1320MW power plant, a rehabilitation center of 130 affected people under the scheme named Swapner Thikana on the power plant premises.
Swapner Thikana opened up a new era in compensation and rehabilitation package in the country's history as it will open the door for a beautiful life of people under this package.
The state-run North-West Power Generation Company Ltd (NWPGCL) and Chinese CMC Company are jointly constructing the ultra supercritical power plant and offered such a new thing among the affected people for the first time.
The government set a target of generating 10,000MW of electricity by 2025 through the plant.
"The power plant will bring about a revolutionary change in the life and livelihood of the people of the southern region. It will open the door for a beautiful life of the people here and establish a model for rehabilitation programme," Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said while inaugurating the scheme.
"We prepared the Resettlement Action Plan (RAP) for the affected people at Dhankhali, Patuakhali due to the acquisition of land for Payra 1320MW Thermal Power Plant Project," she said.
Under this RAP, the Company has been constructing brick-built residences for the affected people.
The Company has donated more than Tk 10.00 (ten) million to the Prime Minister's Relief Fund for aiding the flood affected people there," CEO of NWPGCL Engr AM Khurshed Alam told the daily observer on Saturday.
To create an energy hub at the northern part of the country, the government wants to make a very successful, participatory public consultation progarmme so that it is able to build confidence among the people's mind and complete the pipe line power projects in proper manner, he said.
That is why, he continued, the company has drawn up a unique plan here. It has spent TK 51 crore to build the "Swapner Thikana along with a compensation package, he added.
"We have a TK 71 crore rehabilitation and compensation package for the affected 130 families for a health clinic, mosque, schools, community center, shopping complex and electricity facilities," he added.
 "The company allocated 48 acres of land there to build two categories of semi-pucca houses for 130 families," he added.
The company has completed about 31 per cent of the work and they are hopeful that a 660MW unit will be commissioned by April 2019 and another 660MW one by October the same year.
More than 3,500 Bangladeshi and Chinese engineers and workers are working round the clock there to complete the country's first plant of the coal-based power plant.
A joint venture company Bangladesh-China Power Company (Pvt) Ltd (BCPCL) with North-West Power Generation Company Ltd (NWPGCL) of Bangladesh and China National Machinery Import and Export Corporation (CMC) for producing 1320MW of power was formed in March 2016.
Land development work started that year and the construction work started in April aiming to produce around 9,000MW of power from the coal-based 'power hub' in the next five years.
Khurshed Alam said about 1,000 acres of the power plant area has been fenced off with wall topped by barbed wires and special security at Key Point Installations.
A herculean work is going on inside where about 1,500 Chinese engineers and workers, including women, work. About 2,000 local workers, including those affected by the land acquisition for the hub, have also been given jobs there, he said.
During her visit to Kalapar, the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said the government had a master plan to develop the southern region of the country as it had remained neglected.
"This region has been neglected so much...we've an aim to create huge jobs here. So, we've a master plan over this region," she said.
The Prime Minister also said the government is looking for another island in this area to construct the second nuclear power plant.