In a memorandum to the Managing Director of Teesta Urja, the residents yesterday demanded compensation due to the damages caused by the earthquake as their houses had been rendered weak at the project site due to blasting for the project.
The memorandum cited a report of the Mines and Geology department, a couple of years ago, on the causes of house damage in the area due to blasting and other construction activities.
The memorandum also quoted the report as having raised the issue of damage in the event of an earthquake.
Subsequent to the report, a claim for damage compensation for 170 families was filed as also public request made for one time payment of three times the cost of visible damage and also insurance cover for all the houses, the memorandum stated.
With maximum casualties in the quake taking place in Chungthang and adjoining areas, the memorandum said 20 people had died in the project area prior to the earthquake.
"It proved beyond any doubt that the fear and apprehension of the people regarding the negative impact of the project were correct," the memorandum said.
The memorandum underlined the fact that a survey of the Mines and Geology department clearly established that there had been definite damage to public property by the blasting in the project area.
While Teesta Urja authorities have announced compensation for the damages and the lives lost, the residents point out that this is a 'paltry' sum considering the magnitude and extent of damage and loss of life and property.
Stressing that the people of Chungthang Gram Panchayat Unit and Shipgyer GPU in Lepcha reserve of Dzongu, had sacrificed their ancestral land for the development of the project, they demanded that the company reconstruct their houses and rebuild their lives and also provide for other infrastructural development in the area.