Reza Mahmud :
Thousands of poor and underprivileged people dependent on daily earning are crying for relief as they are jobless due to the strict lockdown enforced for two days across the country.
Day laboureres, street vendors and such others people who lost their work in this situation are waiting for relief but the relief distribution from the government is yet to be started.
Meanwhile, different organistions have distributed food packets among the poor in different areas.
It has been found that the day labourer are the worst sufferers for losing work due to the lockdown restrictions that started on Thursday.
People including women go to streets in search of relief in Gandaria, Dayagonj, Sayedabad, Jatrabari, Kajla, Shanirakhra, Fakirapool, and many areas in the capital but were obstructed by law enforcers.
“The police stopped me from bringing out my rickshaw van to the street because of the lockdown. But how can I tell my kids and wife that without money there is no way to buy rice under the restrictions?” said Abdul Khaleque, standing near the Rajdhani Supermarket in Wari in the capital.
Expressing anger he said, “They told me that it is lockdown, everything have to remain closed. You tell me if my eating food will also remain stopped, what my children will eat?”
“No one gives us any relief, though many of us are passing hard time losing daily work,” Nazmul Alam, a daily-basis worker form Fakirapool told The New Nation on Friday.
Dr. Anamur Rahman, State Minister of the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief could not be reached for his comments in this regard.
When contacted, Md. Selim Hossain, Information Officer of the ministry told The New Nation on Friday, “Tk 23,6,75,000 was allotted on last week to the Deputy Commissioners of Dhaka for distribution of relief to the poor people during this strict lockdown.”
He said the ministry had distributed relief during the last lockdown enforced in April. But now we have allotted money to the district administrations for distributing aid locally.
When contacted Md. Shahidul Islam Deputy Commissioner of Dhaka told The New Nation, “We are continuously sending relief to those who call us on the emergency number 333. But the mass distribution among the vulnerable people who lost work due to the strict lockdown is yet to start.”
He said, “Obviously we will distribute relief among the poor if the situation demands.”
In 2020, the Prime Minister had given directives to the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief to distribute relief among the people who lost their jobs due to the pandemic.
The ministry’s notice board showed that they have directives to prepare lists of those underprivileged groups including floating people, slum people, physically and mentally challenged ones, elderly people, beggars, unemployed labourers.
It also included jobless public transport workers and restaurant labourers, street vendors, tea-stall labourers, tea vendors, day labourers, widows, and divorced women, snake charmers and third gender people, street children and lower income group people who are dependent on daily earnings.
Thousands of poor and underprivileged people dependent on daily earning are crying for relief as they are jobless due to the strict lockdown enforced for two days across the country.
Day laboureres, street vendors and such others people who lost their work in this situation are waiting for relief but the relief distribution from the government is yet to be started.
Meanwhile, different organistions have distributed food packets among the poor in different areas.
It has been found that the day labourer are the worst sufferers for losing work due to the lockdown restrictions that started on Thursday.
People including women go to streets in search of relief in Gandaria, Dayagonj, Sayedabad, Jatrabari, Kajla, Shanirakhra, Fakirapool, and many areas in the capital but were obstructed by law enforcers.
“The police stopped me from bringing out my rickshaw van to the street because of the lockdown. But how can I tell my kids and wife that without money there is no way to buy rice under the restrictions?” said Abdul Khaleque, standing near the Rajdhani Supermarket in Wari in the capital.
Expressing anger he said, “They told me that it is lockdown, everything have to remain closed. You tell me if my eating food will also remain stopped, what my children will eat?”
“No one gives us any relief, though many of us are passing hard time losing daily work,” Nazmul Alam, a daily-basis worker form Fakirapool told The New Nation on Friday.
Dr. Anamur Rahman, State Minister of the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief could not be reached for his comments in this regard.
When contacted, Md. Selim Hossain, Information Officer of the ministry told The New Nation on Friday, “Tk 23,6,75,000 was allotted on last week to the Deputy Commissioners of Dhaka for distribution of relief to the poor people during this strict lockdown.”
He said the ministry had distributed relief during the last lockdown enforced in April. But now we have allotted money to the district administrations for distributing aid locally.
When contacted Md. Shahidul Islam Deputy Commissioner of Dhaka told The New Nation, “We are continuously sending relief to those who call us on the emergency number 333. But the mass distribution among the vulnerable people who lost work due to the strict lockdown is yet to start.”
He said, “Obviously we will distribute relief among the poor if the situation demands.”
In 2020, the Prime Minister had given directives to the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief to distribute relief among the people who lost their jobs due to the pandemic.
The ministry’s notice board showed that they have directives to prepare lists of those underprivileged groups including floating people, slum people, physically and mentally challenged ones, elderly people, beggars, unemployed labourers.
It also included jobless public transport workers and restaurant labourers, street vendors, tea-stall labourers, tea vendors, day labourers, widows, and divorced women, snake charmers and third gender people, street children and lower income group people who are dependent on daily earnings.
