Van Zutphen spoke there with residents, with representatives of Dorpsbelangen, the village association, and with mayor Anno Wietze Hiemstra. According to the municipality of Aa en Hunze, residents are struggling with the way the Commissie Mijnbouwschade, the body that deals with mining damage, assesses and settles their claims: they find the damage reports incomprehensible and the cost of calling in experts high, and they feel a lack of recognition and fairness.
The visit was a first exploration, but according to Hiemstra, Van Zutphen has promised to look into the matter and to see what he can do with central government. The municipality says that what he heard in Ekehaar resembles what came to light earlier about mining damage in Groningen.
“We are glad that the National Ombudsman has entered into dialogue with residents,” says Hiemstra.
The municipality still hopes that the Minister of Climate and Green Growth will also accept its invitation and come to talk to residents of Ekehaar. Hiemstra believes that damage outside Groningen should also be handled more simply and more humanely.
The National Ombudsman monitors how the government treats citizens. The damage in Ekehaar comes from three earthquakes caused by gas extraction in the Eleveld gas field, close to the village.