The joy of Eid-ul-Azha ran flat for about 200,000 flood-affected people on the basin of Teesta and Dharla Rivers in five upazilas in Lalmonirhat this year, as they did not receive the government relief, locals alleged.
Buying new dresses remained out of question, let alone sacrificial cattle.
The people said besides their bare needs, they could not buy any extra good under the present circumstance as they had lost their homesteads, croplands and domestic animals in the recent floods and erosions.
People on the chars were waiting for government and non-government aid to observe the Eid-ul-Azha, but they did not get any, alleged a number of char dwellers.
The well-off families in the mainland were distributed government relief but the destitute in the char areas remained deprived, they claimed.
Flood victim Ataur Rahman, 55, at Kutirpar village in Aditmari upazila said: “We have two sons and two daughters but I was unable to purchase new clothes for them for Eid. I could not purchase food or any other goods as I am totally broke after going through the flood situation for the fourth time in the last two months.”
Jolekha Bewa, 65, a flood victim of Char Modhupur village in Lalmonirhat sadar said: “VGF [Vulnerable Group Feeding] rice was distributed before the Eid day but I did not get it. Chairman and members of the union parishad distributed those among some well-off families of their choices.”
“Me and many ultra-poor villagers were deprived of the government aid before Eid. I was not in a condition to purchase even regular food for the Eid day let alone new clothes,” she added.
Mohishkhocha Union Parishad Chairman Mosaddeque Hossain Chowdhury said people of his union observed a different Eid this year as they had lost their assets in the flood and erosion and were yet to recover from the disastrous losses.
The District Relief and Rehabilitation Office sources said the government allocated 95,819 VGF cards amongst vulnerable families at 45 unions and two municipalities at five upazilas in the district for celebrating Eid-ul-Azha. Each of the VGF cardholders would get 10kgs of rice.
The District Relief and Rehabilitation Officer (DRRO) Anowarul Islam said the VGF cards were distributed equally in char and mainland areas.
His office did not get any order for special allocation for the flood and erosion hit people of char villages to celebrate Eid-ul-Azha this year, he added.
He said the char dwellers were deprived of the joy of Eid joy because of poverty.