Patuakhali UP chairman, member suspended for ‘stealing rice’

A union parishad chairman and a female member of Patuakhali were suspended for allegedly stealing relief rice.

Md Monir Hossain Mridha, Chairman of Kamalapur Union Parishad of Patuakhali Sadar upazila has been suspended from his duties for allegedly stealing 10 sacks of rice allotted for fishermen in the area, reports our local correspondent quoting a notice issued by Deputy Secretary of the Ministry of Local Government Mohammad Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury.

According to the Local Government Act, the UP chairman was suspended from his post following recommendation by Patuakhali Deputy Commissioner Md Matiul Islam Chowdhury, read the notice.

Police had arrested the UP chairman on April 6 following a case filed against him along with 11 others for stealing and selling the relief rice allotted for poor fishermen. Monir however was later released from jail on bail.

Besides, Lipi Begum, a female UP member of Keshabpur union of Baufal upazila, also the president of the local unit of Mohila Awami League, who was sentenced a month in jail by a mobile court on April 15 for allegedly stealing and storing relief rice, was suspended by the local government department as well, our correspondent reports.

Five UP chairmen under Baufal upazila were also served show cause notices for storing 141 metric tons of relief rice in a warehouse instead of distributing those on time. The notices were issued yesterday by Md Hemayet Uddin, deputy director of the local government department also additional deputy commissioner of Patuakhali.