Govt urged to cancel water-body leases in hoar belt

Eminent citizens on Saturday urged the government to cancel all the leases of water-bodies in the country’s haor belt and to provide sufficient relief for affected people so that they could overcome huge loses they counted from flashflood.
Addressing a convention arranged by the Communist Party of Bangladesh and the Socialist Party of Bangladesh in the capital, they announced protest programmes for June 8 at all haor upazilas and a haor conference on June 10 in Kishoreganj to expedite the implementation of their 16-point demands. 
They also demanded punishment for the officials responsible for delays in repairing dams in the haor regions and immediate rationing of eight essential food items, including rice, lentil and oil, for the affected people.
Dhaka University professor emeritus Serajul Islam Choudhury blamed unscrupulous government officials and contractors for the current plight of the haor people. 
Rights activist Sultana Kamal termed the relief that had been allocated for flood-hit people as ‘meagre’.
‘Providing relief of Tk 500 and 30 kilograms of rice every month is not sufficient to run a family. How can a family of five be fed thrice a day with 1kg rice? How will they meet their daily needs with that amount? The government is rather providing relief to only 3 lakh families out of 25 lakh affected families,’ she said. 
Columnist Syed Abul Maksud, CPB president Mujahidul Islam Selim, SPB general secretary Khalequzzaman, Revolutionary Workers Party general secretary Saiful Huq, Ganasanghati Andolan chief coordinator Zonayed Saki, Bangladesh Poribesh Andolan general secretary MA Matin and Bangladesh Haor and Wetland Development Board’s former director general Mohammad Inamul Haque also addressed the convention.

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net