VGF cardholders protest weight manipulation

Vulnerable group feeding (VGF) cardholders of Kamalpur union parishad in Sadar upazila yesterday staged an angry protest alleging weight manipulation by the distributor.
Rice distribution under the programme came to a halt for about two hours in the morning due to the chaos.
Sources said at least 1,336 VGF cards were given to the poor people of the union ahead of Eid-ul-Azha.
Each cardholder was supposed to get 10kg rice from distributor. But the chaos erupted at Kamalpur UP complex yesterday morning after the cardholders found that each of them were given 500 to 700gm less than the actual weight.
Everything including the protest took place before Md Mazedur Rahman Jewel, chairman of Kamalpur UP, but the chairman remained indifferent, alleged several VGF cardholders.
Hearing the incident, Md Abdul Jalil, district relief and rehabilitation officer and Monwar Hossain, his Sadar upazila colleague rushed to the spot and pacified the angry people. They examined the weights of rice sold to several VGF cardholders and found the seller guilty.
Later they informed the deputy commissioner (DC) Md Jamal Uddin Ahmed about the matter.
Sources said, the DC asked them to take legal action against the UP chairman on charge of cheating. The DC also directed them to ensure fair distribution of rice among the cardholders.
Contacted, UP chairman Mazedur Rahman said he himself had to receive less than the demanded quantity of rice from Pulhat rice godown on Monday.
But no official of Pulhat LSD godown in the district was available immediately for their comment.
However, the deputy commissioner rejected the allegation and told the reporters that there is no scope to cheat the poor and any such act will be resisted at any cost.
A case was in process against the UP chairman at the time of filing this report yesterday afternoon.