| Hundreds demonstrate for relief in Barguna | | | | Wed, Nov 28th, 2007 3:42 pm BdST | | |
Barguna, Nov 28 (bdnews24.com) – Hundreds of survivors demonstrated in front of Barguna Press Club Wednesday morning demanding emergency relief, bdnews24.com correspondents Abu Noman Sajib and Monir Hossain Kamal reported from the scene.
Some 500 men, women and children of Uttor Khajurtala village of Gourichanna union No. 2 of Barguna Sadar Upazila gathered at the scene and chanted slogans at around 10:30am.
They carried banners reading: "We survived the storm surge but are probably going to die this time." "We immediately need food, clothes and medical care."
At around 12:30pm, the motorcade of navy chief Admiral Sarwar Jahan Nizam passed by the demonstrators. The navy chief was visiting Barguna to see how cyclone survivors were faring.
They alleged that relief operations were carried out for only one day in their village after the cyclone Sidr struck and that not all of them got emergency supplies.
Harunur Rashid, a small trader from the village, told bdnews24.com: "A week after the cyclone, a few in the village on one occasion received just one and a half kilos of rice per family. We haven't received any more help from anyone since."
The villagers complained that their Union Parishad chairman and members remained oblivious of their plight.
Manjuara Begum, a female UP member who herself joined the demonstration, said the chairman had not allocated any rice for her to distribute.
"That is why I joined the protesters," she told bdnews24.com.
Another local UP member, Mahmudul Hasan, was chased away by the demonstrators when he arrived at the spot at 11:30am.
Hasan told bdnews24.com: "I was allocated 1,250 kg of rice for distribution in the worst-affected locality and I did so."
"What can I do when there hasn't been any more allocations since?"
Reached by phone, UP chairman Abi Abdullah Khan Bachchu said, "I don't have an adequate supply of relief here to give out to the needy."
At about 1pm, the demonstrators approached the Upazila Nirbahi Officer Md Rabiuzzamanv
The UNO listened to the demands of the villagers and promised to deliver relief Thursday as he had none at hand to distribute then and there.
bdnews24.com/corr/ans/mi/wz/rah/bd/1500 hours | |
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