Govt rice dealer ‘fleecing’ poor in Baralekha
Allegations are surfacing about a rice dealer who is giving short weight to recipients of an affordable rice distribution programme of the government in Moulvibazar's Baralekha upazila.
Many of the recipients of the rice, under the government's "khadya bandhab" programme for the poor in haor areas of Sujanagar union, said the rice dealer, Bikash Chandra Das, has been giving each recipient 25 to 26 kilogram of rice, instead of the 30-kg allotment for each individual.
The irregularity in distribution has been possible as the supervising government officer, known as the 'tag officer', has not been present during the distribution of rice, they also alleged.
On September 20, the dealer collected 9,270 kg of rice -- under the "khadya bandhab" programme for Sujanagar union -- from government food warehouse in Baralekha upazila, said Mostaq Ahmed, food control officer in Baralekha upazila.
Each of the 309 cardholders in the union is supposed to be able to buy 30 kg of the rice for Tk 300 from the dealer, he added.
Aside from giving short weight, the dealer is also distributing rice to multiple cardholders together, alleged a number of cardholders.
Sajon Kumar Biswas, from Barathal village, said he saw a 50-kg sack and another 10-kg sack being handed over together to two different cardholders.
Cardholder Muhibur Rahman, from Eidgah Bari in Saldiga village, said he paid Tk 300 to the rice dealer for 30 kg of rice, but he received only 25 kg in return.
The 'tag officer' officer was not present during the distribution that day, he also said.
Barathal village resident Akkas Ali said the dealer also fleeced him of his money by giving him only 26 kg of rice in exchange for Tk 300.
Bakul Mia, another cardholder from the same village, the dealer has been fleecing people by not using any weighing scale during distribution.
Asked about the accusation, dealer Bikash Chandra Das claimed that only a handful of people might receive short weight as some of the bags of rice he had received from the food warehouse were underweight.
However, he said he did not make any formal complaint about the "rice shortage" to the upazila food control officer.
According to the rules of the government's rice distribution programme for the poor, each cardholder is eligible to buy 30 kg of rice every month for Tk 10 each kg and it is mandatory to use a weighing scale during the distribution process, said Mostaq Ahmed, the upazila food control officer.
He said he has asked the officer-in-charge at the upazila food warehouse to investigate into the claim of rice bags, dispatched from the warehouse, being underweight and also as to why a 'tag officer' on behalf of the government is not overseeing the rice distribution programme in Sujanagar union.
When asked what action would be taken against the rice dealer in Sujanagar, he said it is a gross violation of the rules to distribute the rice to multiple recipients under one transaction.
He would launch an investigation over the alleged fleecing of the poor by the rice dealer and take legal action against him if he is found guilty in the investigation, he also said.
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