The Teesta and Dharla river basins’ char people in Lalmonirhat are deprived of Open Market Sale (OMS) facilities as all the OMS outlets in the district are opened in municipality area.
As a result, these people are the worst sufferer of recent flour and rice price hike in Lalmonirhat.
A total of 12 OMS outlets are being kept open every day in Lalmonirhat town since March 9 for selling flour at Tk22 per kilogramme fixed by the government, whereas flour is being sold at Tk30-32 in local markets.
Several hundreds of ultra poor people of different char villages are deprived of the facilities as they have to travel around 15-16km to get the OMS facilities, which is not possible for them.
Rekha Begum, 55, a residence of Char Kalmati village, said: “The government opened the OMS facilities for the ultra poor people, but it is being enjoyed by town dwellers.”
Mahuya Bewa, 68, of the same village, said: “It is difficult for the char people to travel around 15km for purchasing flour from the OMS centres.”
Ashraful Islam, 50, a residence of Bowalmari village, said: “Our income is not sufficient to maintain the livelihood in price hike situation. If we get the OMS facilities in the char villages, it would be helpful for the ultra poor people.”
Mofazzal Hossain Mofa, union parishd chairman of Rajpur, alleged that the authorities concerned did not pay any heed despite he personally requested to the food officials to open OMS centres in his union as maximum people there were victims of flood and Teesta river erosion. It was necessary to open OMS centres in river basin areas, he added.
Lalmonirhat District Food Controller Zahurul Haque said there was no plan to open OMS centres at remote and char villages, adding that the authorities concerned only permitted 12 dealers to open OMS centres in Lalmonirhat municipality area. Around 9 tonne flour was being sold at the government fixed rate at these centres, he informed.
