The countrywide lockdowns in different districts of the country to curb the proliferation of the deadly coronavirus are expanding. The incentives initiated by the government to feed the countless jobless and underprivileged people are deemed inadequate by many.
Meanwhile, the misappropriation of relief meant to help the needy is upstaging news of the disease now ravaging the country. Allegations abound of many of local political leaders, district representatives and petty thieves being involved in stealing relief goods.
Officials in the district administration and the law enforcement agencies are struggling day and night to control the situation as thousands crowd the streets demanding food for their families.
In Jamalpur, hundreds of day labourers and people living a hand-to-mouth existence staged a protest in the Chonkanda area to demand relief on Thursday.
The protesters said they had not been allowed to work for two weeks and had not received any rations to meet their daily needs.
Claiming that the protest was initiated by some mischievous elements to create chaos among local residents, the Mayor of the municipality, Fazlul Haque Akanda, claimed that he himself had donated relief to at least 124 families in the area.
In Narayanganj, local UP member Amir Hossain asked needy people to collect relief from him. However, when the distribution was terminated after handing out relief materials to only 70 people, those who had not been able to receive rations, went furious and staged a demonstration.
UP member Amir Hossain claimed he had no relief left to donate but the protesting locals were surprised as they had been enlisted on his relief worthy list and had been promised aid.
In Naogaon’s Raninagar, Police arrested a local named Shahin, 32, as he was found hoarding nine sacks of government Open Market Sales (OMS) rice in his house.
In Lalmonirhat, hundreds of people took to the streets on Thursday. They claimed they had not received any relief from any government or NGO.
The protesters were later pacified and sent home by the assistant commissioner of the district, Shahidul Islam, with promises of enough relief to be handed out to them.
In Narsingdi, a rice dealer from Raipura was suspended and fined Tk1.5 lakh as he allegedly sold 300 sacks of OMS rice to local vendors at market price yesterday, confirmed a mobile court led by UNO Md Shafiqul Islam.
In Thakurgaon, UP member named Kulsum Begum was caught red-handed by the police when they conducted a drive at her godown and found 680 sacks of OMS rice which had illegally been stored there.
Police said the UP member’s husband is a rice vendor and she was helping him out. However, she managed to flee the scene and was on the run.
In Comilla, it was revealed that a chairman and members of the local UP as well as certified government dealers were pocketing all the OMS rice, provided since 2016 for the underprivileged people of the area.
In Rangpur, police arrested two people for hoarding 90 sacks of OMS rice which they had earlier stolen, confirmed Pirganj Police OC Saresh Chandra.
In Tangail, a mobile court detained a man named Sabuj on Thursday for smuggling and selling 22 sacks of government rice. However, he managed to flee the scene, said UNO Bikas Biswas.
Our correspondents, Bishwajit Deb, Jamalpur; Shamima Rita, Narayanganj; Abdur Rouf Pavel, Naogaon; Moazzem Hossain, Lalmonirhat; Liakat Ali Badal, Rangpur; Assaduzzam Ripon, Narsingdi; Zakir Mustafiz Milu, Thakurgaon; Masud Alam, Comilla and Abdullah Al Numan, Tangail contributed to the story.