Nazrul Rajbari Correspondent: In Rajbari Sadar Upazila, card-carrying fishermen have demonstrated, claiming they were denied VGF food assistance.
Around noon on Monday, May 26, over a hundred fisherman demonstrated in front of the upazila’s fisheries office. They yelled at the moment, “Even if they are true fishermen, they are not getting rice,” and called for the list to be revised right away.
Each year, during the Jatka harvesting prohibition, the government distributes 160 kg of rice (80 kg in each phase) to registered fishing families who are part of the VGF program. However, the removal of numerous fishermen from the list has caused discontent this time.
Kamal Biswas, a fisherman from Bhawanipur village, said, “Last year, I received this rice. I also have a valid fisherman card. But this time, my name is not on the list. We have been running our family by fishing for generations. This is a great injustice.”
Another fisherman from Laxmikol village, Salam Mandal, said, “Hilsa is not allowed to be caught in the river, and government assistance has also been stopped. Last year, we got rice, but this time we have been left out. But van drivers and grocery shopkeepers are getting rice from the list. How is this justice?”
The fishermen alleged that there were irregularities and political influence in the preparation of the list. They claimed that beneficiaries were included while excluding real fishermen.
However, Halima Sardar, senior fisheries officer of Rajbari Sadar Upazila, denied these allegations. She said, “Last year, we got allocation for 2,100 fishermen. This time it has come down to 1,400. So about 700 people have been left out. There is no scope for irregularities here. The allocated list is determined centrally.”
She added that the matter has been informed to the higher authorities and a request will be made to increase the allocation in the future.
Meanwhile, the fishermen, who are aggrieved by not getting rice, said that if their demands are not met, they will again protest and submit a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner’s office.
