Fakhrul alleges misuse of Rana Plaza relief fund

BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam. Star file photo

BNP today accused the Sheikh Hasina administration of misusing a huge amount of money raised for the Rana Plaza tragedy victims and their families.

BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir also alleged that the government had used the disaster to stop BNP-led opposition alliance’s anti-government movement at that time.

The government collected a huge amount of money for the rehabilitation of the victims and their family members, he said. “But, the government has misused the fund instead of properly distributing it among them.”

Fakhrul was speaking at a discussion and doa mahfil remembering the deceased of the country's worst industrial disaster last year. Jatiyatabadi Muktijoddha Prajanma organised the programme at the BNP’s Nayapaltan central office in the afternoon.

At least 1,135 people, mostly RMG workers, were killed and around 2,000 others injured when the eight-storey building housing five garment factories came down on April 24 last year.

A total of Tk 127 crore has been collected for the rehabilitation of the victims and their families but till date only Tk 23 crore has been distributed.

Prime Minister’s Special Assistance Mahbubul Hoque Shakil at a press conference at PMO yesterday said the Relief and Welfare Fund of the prime minister operated with the “highest transparency and accountability.” 

He said the prime minister's Relief and Welfare Fund had distributed Tk 22.13 crore among the injured garment workers of Rana Plaza and family members of the deceased workers.

Pointing to opposition’s movement at that time, Fakhrul said BNP postponed its anti-government movement due to the disaster.

“But the government did politics against the opposition centering our movement. Even the government had engaged in falsehood to divert our movement into another direction. But the administration’s move had gone in vain.”

Without giving any detail, Fakhrul accused the government of destabilising country’s garments industry at present.