Netrakona Correspondent
There have been allegations of irregularities in the distribution of rice by VGF on the occasion of Eid-ul-Azha in Kalmakanda Upazila, bordering the district. On Thursday (May 29), a site visit was made to the upazila’s Kailati Union from 12 noon to 1 pm and Kalmakanda Sadar Union from 2 pm to 3 pm. It was found that although 10 kg of rice was supposed to be distributed to each cardholder, everyone was being given at least half a kg to one kg, and some were given less than one and a half kg. There is widespread anger among the local people over this. Due to the absence of a chairman in Kailati Union, Upazila Fisheries Officer Md. Zahidul Islam has been given the responsibility of the administrator of this union. When I went to the union parishad around 12 noon, I saw that local residents were interrogating the union parishad administrator, Md. Zahidul Islam, alleging fraud by keeping 600 cards under their control. At one point, local residents attacked Zahidul, but the situation calmed down with the intervention of the media. At one point, Zahidul started measuring rice in public in the presence of the media and distributing it in the right quantity. Later, when asked about this by the fisheries officer, he said, “I am trying to distribute it correctly.” But we’re not used to this kind of public function, so it’s bound to be a little awkward. Later, when we went to Kalmakanda Sadar Union, we saw a more horrific scene. Here too, in the absence of a chairman, Upazila Agriculture Officer Saiful Islam has been given the responsibility of the administrator of the council. The administrator in charge is sitting comfortably inside the office, having breakfast, while on the other side, some have received cards and some have not, the helpless poor people are getting wet in the rain and making a fuss. The cardholders enter the closed room one by one and give out rice without any kind of measurement. When you measure them, you can see that some are made to weigh eight and a half kilograms, some nine kilograms, and some nine and a half kilograms. Additionally, netizens have been expressing widespread anger on social media for the past few days over allegations of irregularities in the distribution of cards in this union. When asked about this, Saiful Islam, administrator of Kalmakanda Sadar Union and Upazila Agriculture Officer, said, “This is how it is being given. If we can give it this way, they will take my job.” When Kalmakanda Upazila Executive Officer Faizul Wasima Nahat was informed about these matters, he immediately told media personnel that he was looking into the matter.