Relief in Rajshahi: Still many left out
Though the relief distribution in Rajshahi so far has been provided to nearly triple the initial estimate of the poor, many belonging to indigenous communities in the district have remained out of the purview of government support.
Indigenous people, who largely work as day labourers on agricultural land or in the towns, are among those targeted by the government's relief efforts as the coronavirus situation rendered these day labourers jobless.
Many of them coped through the first few weeks of the shutdown using their savings and selling off livestock.
The Daily Star identified at least four Orao community villages in Matikata union of Godagari upazila, where the dwellers claim none have received any relief so far.
Of these families, 65 live in Habaspur village, 18 in Bhajanpur, 25 in Notunpara, and 28 in Silinda.
"None of us got relief. The leaders say wait but how long will I wait?" said Jagadish Chandra Bose of Habaspur.
"I don't get a job often when hunger forces me to go out. When I do get a job, the police chase me back home."
Ruhul Amin, chairman of Matikata Union Parishad, said these villages might have escaped the administration's notice due to their remote location. He said no one had brought the matter to his notice till now.
"Now, you've informed me. I will see for myself that relief is reaching these villages soon," said Ruhul.
According to Jatiya Adivasi Parishad (JAP), there are around 50,000 indigenous families of 20 different ethnic communities in the district. An overwhelming majority of them require some kind of relief, JAP members said.
The district's largest cluster of around 15,000 indigenous families resides in Godagari upazila, with 9,000 families in Tanore and 5,000 in Puthia. The rest are scattered in other upazilas.
After the beginning of relief distribution on March 27, Deputy Commissioner Hamidul Haque said in a press conference that around one lakh people needed relief assistance.
As of May 5, around 2,448 tonnes of food grains and Tk 1.08 crore in cash have been distributed among at least 2.75 lakh impoverished people -- nearly thrice the estimated number of the poor -- according to district administration data.
'NO WORK NOW, NO FOOD EITHER'
At least 40 families of the indigenous Gorat community live in Doldola village of Godagari upazila.
"When I went to the local leaders, they took a copy of my national identity card, and said they will help. The help did not come in one month so far," said Basona Bala, a local resident.
Basona had a goat which would have sold for at least Tk 7,000 under normal circumstances. Three weeks ago, she was forced to sell it for just Tk 3,000.
After the potato harvest in the area in mid-April, some potatoes were left behind in the fields by farmers who deemed those not fit to be sold.
Basona and her three children gathered these discarded potatoes from a nearby field. She earned Tk 600 by selling two maunds of the potatoes. The rest she kept for the family to eat.
After buying food and paying off loans, Basona has nothing left now.
"There has been no rice these last two weeks. I borrowed rice but neighbours cannot always help. So, I borrowed money again to buy rice."
Unlike Basona, Sukho Bala had nothing to sell off. She has no space in which to raise poultry or livestock.
"We work and eat. We have no work now, so no food either. I don't know how long it will take to end this situation. Even if it ends soon, I don't know when our miseries will end after paying off the lenders," she said.
Doldola village is also home to at least seven Rabidas families, who make their living as cobblers. They would earn roughly Tk 500 a day.
"I stayed home for the first few weeks of the shutdown. Then, I had to go out to earn for a few hours every morning. My income has come down to Tk 60 a day, this is what I'm living on now," said Dukhu Rabidas.
Kankonhat Municipality Mayor Abdul Majid said some Gorat and Rabidas families might not have received relief yet.
He said Doldola has some 125 families and the local police administration is arranging relief for 100 of them soon.
"It is very difficult to give relief to one and leave the others. We have a shortage of relief supplies," he said.
Out of 15,000 extreme poor in the municipal area, he could manage government relief for only 1,500. He, himself, has helped 4,000 others while various organisations have helped an additional 2,500, he added.
Rabindranath Hembrom, president of the Santals' social organisation Pargana Parishadin Godagari, said he heard in the news that relief was being delivered to everyone's homes.
"In reality, we can't get relief even by running after it."
At least 7,000 Santal families in Godagari are yet to receive any relief; in his own village, Sagrampara, only 20 out of 250 families received relief, he said.
"Everyone thinks we are untouchable and keeps us away. No one listens to our needs."
On April 26, Rabindranath went to the Upazila Nirbahi Officer's office, which is 12km away, but was unable to see him.
"Someone at the UNO's office asked me to wait. After three hours, he asked me to come later. But I can't go that far every day."
'IRREGULARITIES'
Niren Chandra Khalku, chairman of the Orao community's organisation Dwighari Raja Parishad, alleged that there were irregularities in relief distribution -- with those needing it the most not receiving aid first.
"Local leaders gave relief materials to the people of their choice -- those who work for them -- first," he said.
Out of the 35 people who got relief among 159 families in his village Chhatnipara, at least 12 were well-to-do farmers and political activists, he said.
Some 3,500 Orao families in the upazila are deprived of relief, he added.
Rajkumar Shaw, a member of JAP's central committee, said the situation for other ethnic communities including Munda, Roy, and Rajoar, in the district is no different.
Godagari UNO Nazmul Islam Sarkar, whose upazila has a large number of indigenous families, said these communities should get priority in relief distribution and shouldn't be deprived.
"If they are deprived, there could be two reasons for it -- one is unconsciousness, not knowing how to get relief and from where, and the second is the limitation of government allocations," he said.
Rajshahi DC Hamidul Haque said many poor families could not be brought under the relief distribution due to incidents of repetition. "Some of the extremely poor people needed relief multiple times as they have been idle for over a month."
He said new allocations of relief materials were being released to cover people who were yet to receive relief.
Three UP chairmen and members told this correspondent that many poor people were deprived because the distribution system is influenced by local politicians.
As per the rules, they said, UP chairmen and members prepare the list of beneficiaries and distribute relief. But local politicians have been choosing their own beneficiaries among people they know and local government representatives were forced to share the relief materials with them.
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