Govt doing farce in the name of relief: GF
Gono Forum President Dr Kamal Hossain has alleged that the government cannot tackle the flood situation as there is no effective democracy in the country. We all need to make our efforts to control the flood situation.
“There’re some issues like flood that should be considered from the national point of view. We should come forward rising above parochial political interest to lessen public
sufferings and stand beside the flood victims,” he said this at a press conference at the Jatiya Press Club on Monday.
Dr Kamal said that the government alone cannot tackle the current flood and called for holding a national dialogue to find ways to effectively overcome the natural disaster.
“We face flood due to our geographical position but we need to find ways to minimise it. We have to save people from sufferings and financial losses. I think a national dialogue is necessary in this regard,” he said.
The Gono Forum chief said both the government and the citizens have a role in tackling the flood situation. “I call upon the government let’s sit together and work out action plans to tackle the situation with united efforts.”
He also said people should be more active and organised to resolve the country’s problem.
Party’s Executive President Professor Abu Sayeed said that the government has allocated only Tk 1.12 and 66 grams of rice for each of 12 lakh flood victims in Kurigram district over the last one and a half weeks.
“It also allocated 3,000 packets of dry food for distribution among 12 lakh flood victims in the district. Its nothing but a farce in the name of relief,” he said in a written statement at the conference.
Prof. Sayeed said over 70 percent people in Kurigram are living under the poverty line.
He alleged that the government is reluctant to stand beside the flood-hit people with necessary support to remove their sufferings. Prof. Sayeed said a team of their party, led by its presidium member AMSA Amin, is carrying out relief activities in Kurigram.
He alleged that the flood-affected people are being forced to pay toll to stay on the flood-control embankments while their belongings and cattle are being snatched.
Prof. Sayeed placed their party’s six-point demand, including immediately ensuring safety and shelter, adequate food, pure water, medicine and treatment for the flood victims, forming relief committees involving people for ensuring transparency and accountability in relief distribution, taking prompt steps to send relief materials to char and remote areas, and announcing the badly affected areas as disaster ones.
Besides, he said, the party thinks it is necessary to take an effective regional initiative by Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Bhutan and China to resolve water-related problems, ensure effective river management and control flood.
