Relief Misappropriation: UP members alone at fault?

Whenever the issue of relief misappropriation arises, the finger is usually pointed toward public representatives. In many cases, they are found to be involved in relief misappropriation.

But some local representatives The Daily Star talked with said they were made scapegoats by power-abusing local administration officials in the recent uproar over relief misappropriation during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Local Government Division (LGD) has so far suspended 108 union parishad chairmen and members across the country for Covid-19 relief misappropriation. The LGD covers 4,568 unions.

On April 12, Kabir Hossain, the Ward 8 member of Pirjopur Union Parishad under Sonargaon upazila of Narayanganj, was suspended by the LGD upon the recommendation of the then UNO Saidul Islam for misappropriating relief.

But Kabir said the allegation of relief misappropriation against him is baseless. He was framed for his refusal to comply with "the upazila nirbahi officer's request of donating Tk 2 lakh for relief".

Kabir alleged that he was suspended two days after his refusal to "donate" the amount to UNO Saidul.

He filed a writ petition with the High Court on July 22 challenging the LGD's suspension order and won a stay for six months.

Kabir also lodged complaints at several government bodies including the Anti-Corruption Commission, where he bought an allegation against UNO Saidul of asking for the money.

The Daily Star has obtained copies of the letter submitted to the ACC and certification of the relief distribution by Pirojpur UP Chairman Masudur Rahman Masum.

In the letter to the ACC, Kabir said he received relief from the union parishad on two dates -- four packages on March 28 and six packages on April 2 -- which he duly distributed.

Each package contained 10kg of rice, 2kg of potatoes, 1kg of lentils, salt, and soap.

Since the relief was too scanty for a ward of nearly 7,000 people -- mostly CNG-run auto-rickshaw drivers, day labourers, beggars, rickshaw and van pullers -- Kabir said he spent money from his own pocket to distribute a separate relief package to 500 families on April 10-11, according to documents submitted to the ACC.

Each package contained 5kg of rice and 1kg of wheat.

The Daily Star, however, could not independently verify his claims.

"I requested UNO sir to inaugurate the distribution. He declined to come but suggested I carry out distribution maintaining social distancing," reads the letter.

Kabir said the UNO asked for the donation from him on April 10, when he met him that afternoon.

"The UNO asked me whether I'll be able to donate Tk 2 lakh for relief. I told him that I do not have that much money," claimed Kabir.

Two days later, on April 12, Kabir came to know that he had been suspended.

The order stated Kabir's suspension was "for misappropriating relief and tarnishing image of the government by spreading rumour."

Kabir was also show-caused and asked to explain why he should not be suspended permanently.

He replied to the show-cause notice the following day and later appeared in a hearing before the additional deputy magistrate of Narayanganj Khadija Tahera Boby on June 23.

In his written reply to the show-cause, Kabir said neither had the UNO seized any relief from his possession nor had given him any chance to reply to any query, if the UNO had any.

Khadija said she submitted the probe report to her superiors. "I can't recall what was in the report," she said, when asked about the probe findings.

Saidul was transferred to Tangail Sadar Upazila as UNO on July 14. Contacted recently, Saidul said he took the action against Kabir after "scrutiny".

Asked how many packets of relief Kabir misappropriated, Saidul said: "I sought particulars of the beneficiaries but he failed to submit these."

Saidul refuted Kabir's allegation that he asked for Tk 2 lakh.

"There are so many industries in Sonargaon. If I needed money, I could have asked them. Why do I need to seek it from a member like him?"

Contacted, an official of Pirojpur Union Parishad, wishing to remain unnamed, said all members submitted particulars of the beneficiaries on the same day as the distribution.

"No one had brought allegations of misappropriation against the members," the UP official said.

Talking to this correspondent over the phone, Kabir said, "He [Saidul] has damaged my career with a false allegation and I'll have to live with this scar for the rest of my life.

"I have thought of filing a defamation suit but I know the administration will not allow me to do so."

Earlier this year, Chairman of Muriauk union of Habiganj, Rafiqul Islam, too, was suspended over the allegation of nepotism in preparing the list of beneficiaries of the prime minister's cash aid of Tk 2,500 to poor families.

Rafiqul, however, regained his post following an order of the High Court.

He said the UNO called him over phone and asked him to prepare a list of 1,176 beneficiaries within 48 hours, between May 1 and May 2.

"Ward members could prepare a list of 728 people by that time. It was submitted to the UNO's office and the UNO office's secretary completed the full list," he said.

"Some discrepancies were found and school teachers were assigned to check the list," said Rafiqul, adding, "Suddenly I saw on the media that I was alleged to be involved in the irregularities.

"I had no involvement in the list preparation but I was suspended."

Contacted, UNO of Lakhai upazila Losikanta Hazong said the issue of time constraint was there but as chief of the union parishad, the chairman could not avert his liabilities.

Losikanta said departmental proceedings against the UNO's secretary are on-going.

Iftikher Ahmed Chowdhury, deputy secretary of Union Parishad-1 section of LGD, said they have so far suspended 108 UP chairmen and members over allegations of Covid-19 relief misappropriation.

"Two of them are suspended permanently for misappropriation and 30 chairmen and members have regained their positions following stay orders of the High Court, so far," said the deputy secretary of LGD's UP-1.

The fates of the remaining 76 UP chairmen and members were yet to be decided, he added.