Eid-ul-Fitr means hardly anything to about 200,000 people from 85 char villages of five upazilas affected by floods and river erosion by the Teesta and Dharla Rivers in Lalmonirhat. Buying even vermicelli and sugar is out of the question, let alone new dresses.
The people said beyond their bare needs they cannot afford to buy extra goods under the present circumstance as they have lost their shelters, croplands and domestic animals in recent floods and erosions.
They said a good number of them have been waiting for government and non-government aid, so that they can buy food and other things to celebrate Eid with their families.
Flood victim Azgor Mia, 48, at Kalmati village in Lalmonirhat sadar upazila said, "We have two sons and two daughters, and I am unable to purchase new clothes for them till now. I could not even purchase food and other goods for Eid, as I have absolutely nothing."
Soleman Ali, 32, an erosion victim of Kurul village in the same upazila said he along with five family members had taken shelter on the road. There remains nothing called Eid for his family this year, he said.
"We now fight daily for food and are not in a condition to spend extra money for celebrating Eid," said Atiar Rahman, 58, a farmer of flood hit village Kutirpar under Aditmari upazila.
Rajpur Union Parishad Chairman Mofazzal Hossain Mofa said people of his union were going to celebrate a different Eid this year because of not being able to recover from their disastrous losses.
The District Relief and Rehabilitation Office sources said the government has distributed 105,000 Vulnerable Group Feeding (VGF) cards amongst families at 45 unions and two municipalities at five upazilas in the district for celebrating Eid-ul-Fitr. Each of VGF card holder will 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 of flood for the erosion hit people of char villages to celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr this year, he added.
