Cry for relief: Diseases spread
They are lying, says Netrakona UNO
Our Correspondent, Netrakona
As journalists entered the Madan Shahid Saranika Girls High School flood shelter, 20 to 25 women came and asked, "Have your brought relief for us?" Middle aged Amana Begum said weeping, "We came here 12 days back as flood washed away our house. We are five members. We got only five kg rice. Our three children are fasting two days. Please help us". Just at the moment, Madan upazila UNO came in a jeep and rebuked the inmates for talking to newsmen. But the women did not care. They kept on making allegations of scanty relief supplies. The UNO told newsmen that 10 kg rice was given per family, but the women strongly protest it on the face of UNO. They said five kg rice was gave per family in 12 days. "They are telling lies", the UNO said. There are 300 families at the shelter, 10 to 12 crowding in each classroom. Widow Rahima Khatun of Chandgaon village said she came to the shelter with four children 10 days back as flood washed away her house. She said she got five kg rice in 10 days. "A man (Capt (rtd) Manjurul) came and have us rice, biscuit and oral saline this morning. We are cooking the rice", she said. This correspondent was in the journalists' team which visited four out of 11 shelters in Madan upazila yesterday. Theses are at Madan Shahid Saranika Girls High School, Jubaida Mohila College, Madam College and Nayakpur Union Parishad office. At Jubaida Mohila College, Shreenibash Mitra of Jahangirpur village said he came to the shelter five days back but did not get any relief as his name was not included in the list. Elderly Aklima Khatun came to the journalists and said "I am looking to your, write against them who are stealing our relief. Allah will punish them". Waterborne diseases have broken out in every shelter visited by the journalists. But there no medicine, no doctor or health assistant. Seven year-old Kamal was suffering from dysentery for four days at Jubaida Mohila College shelter, his mother Rashi Begum told this correspondent. Roshi has no money to buy medicine. About five lakh flood affected people in Netrakona are in acute crisis of food, drinking water and medicine. The Madan upazila UNO said about one lakh people are now in flood shelters in the district. There are 228 flood shelters in the district, including 19 in the municipal area.
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