Although enough relief was allocated for flood-affected people in Nageshwari, Kurigram, the victims did not receive it. Thirty tonnes of GR (gratuitous relief) rice allocated for them has been lying in a warehouse for more than a month.

It is alleged that the rice was lifted in the names of two union parishads that were not flood-hit and put into storage. In addition, although 100 packets of dry food were allocated during the flood, only 30 were distributed.

Local elected representatives also allege that more than two lakh kg of rice allocated for Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) card holders for June was returned because it was not lifted on time, owing to the negligence and whims of the upazila nirbahi officer (UNO).

People in 20 wards of five unions in Nageshwari upazila were hit by short-term floods in two spells from the last week of June into July this year.

According to the upazila relief office, 2,640 people were affected by the floods, and more than a hundred others lost land to river erosion over the same period. The district administration allocated 30 tonnes of GR rice and 100 packets of dry food for the roughly 3,000 people affected by floods and erosion. After the allocation on 29 June, the rice and dry food were lifted on 30 June. Under the rules, the rice should be distributed within three working days.

But it is alleged that none of the 30 tonnes of rice was distributed among the flood victims; only 30 packets of dry food were handed out.

Locals allege that the rice meant for flood victims was lifted in the names of the chairman and administrator of two union parishads that were not flooded, identified as Santoshpur and Ramkhana. The matter has drawn mixed reactions among people in the flood-hit areas.

Chairmen of the flood-hit union parishads allege that flood victims were deprived of relief rice this time because of the UNO's negligence and whims. They say they do not know where or how the lifted rice has been kept.

A K M Wajidul Kabir Rashed, chairman of Kedar union parishad, said: "Although 10 kg of rice each was allocated for flood victims, we did not get it. We heard the UNO had the rice lifted in the names of two other chairmen and kept it. More than a month after it was lifted, the rice has still not been distributed."

Jalal Uddin, chairman of Raiganj union parishad, one of the unions that received the allocation, said: "My union is never flooded. On the UNO's instructions, 15 tonnes of the rice allocated for flood victims was lifted in my name and 15 tonnes in the name of the Santoshpur union administrator, and kept in the warehouse."

It is also alleged that rice for TCB customers for June was returned because of the UNO's negligence. Some 205,510 kg of rice allocated for 41,102 TCB customers in the upazila could not be lifted in time, reportedly because the release order was not signed within the set period.

Nageshwari UNO H M Khodadad Hossain denied the allegations. He said the flood was over before the relief could be distributed. The rice was supposed to be returned, but it was lifted and kept in the warehouse instead, and it will be distributed if there is another flood. He said the deadline for lifting the TCB rice passed during his absence for a special reason, but customers were given other goods.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.