Resettlement process begins today

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Munima Sultana
The government begins today the resettlement process to relocate 15,000 people from both banks of the Padma river to speed up the country's largest bridge construction.
Officials said the Resettlement Action Plan starts today (Wednesday) initially to relocate people from more than 1000 hectares of land for construction of the 16.5-kilometre long and 21.10-metre wide bridge by 2012.
The government fund of Tk 200 million will be disbursed among the directly affected people who will be losing agricultural land and houses because of construction of the two-tier road-cum-rail bridge.
Of the total fund, highest Tk 154 million would be disbursed against loss of arable land and Tk 710 million for losing homes.
"The rest amount would be disbursed for environmental cause, and rebuilding homes in the new settlement," said a senior official adding that Tk 3.7 million would also be disbursed among other people who would be affected indirectly.