Sundarganj/Gaibandha/Representative/

In Sundarganj Upazila of Gaibandha, there have been allegations of widespread irregularities in the preparation of the list of actual disabled beneficiaries and the disability survey.

It is known that the government introduced disability allowance to provide financial assistance to disabled, crippled and indigent persons in manual labor. In continuation of this, the government allocated 5 thousand 300 persons with disabilities to be covered under the allowance from the list of actual disabled persons surveyed by the upazila social service office in Sundarganj upazila this year. The upazila administration divided the allocations in 15 union and 1 municipal area and gave instructions to the mayor, UP chairmen to prepare a list for providing allowance to the disabled. After receiving the instructions, the mayor, UP chairman and the members made the allowances from the list of names of 7 thousand 500 persons with disabilities surveyed including able-bodied people in exchange for money in three ways last year. By doing this, the actual disabled people are deprived of allowances, but the names of able-bodied persons appear in the list of beneficiaries. It is also alleged that related doctors along with social service officers have made many able-bodied people disabled through the transaction of kinship favor money and a class of brokers in the disability survey.
Many disabled persons like Abu Hayat, Chabeda, Kajal, Sohag Mia and Ajivan could not get their name in the list of beneficiaries due to lack of money. Doubts have arisen whether they will ever get disability allowance at all.

Meanwhile, the disability survey work is going on again in the upazila social service department. It has been observed that in exchange for money, a class of brokers are managing the workers in charge of social service office unions and conducting disability surveys with the special blessing of the social service officer. Concerned circles think that the real disabled people can also be left out.

The social service workers working in the union, who did not want to be named in this regard, denied such allegations and said, “We will survey the list of actual disabled people.” So that no disability is left out in this upazila. However, attempts were made to contact Upazila Social Service Officer Rafikuzzaman but he was not found.