Dhaka – The Gaibandha district administration Monday went to the Santal families in Gobindhaganj upzila to distribute relief materials but they rejected it, saying that they want their lands back instead of food.
After being evicted, these ethnic families are not going outside for work or the children are not going to schools.
They are passing their days under open sky and in scarcity of foods. Their only demand is to get back their ancestral lands, as they claimed.Abdul Hannan, Gobindaganj Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) told reporters that they went to the Santal families with aid materials like rice, lentils, oil, potatoes and salt at 9 am and waited till 5 pm but the ethnic people did not accept it.
“We went to distribute some relief materials for 150 santal families at Motherpur and Joypur villages but they rejected it. They only said they want to get back their lands,” he said.
“We went to them to provide the materials out of humanitarian grounds as they have been evicted. But they said they don’t have scarcity of food. They want their lands back,” he added.
The UNO said they would again try to provide relief materials after discussion with the district administration.
The Santal families said they would not receive aid materials provided their condition is fulfilled.
Sapmara union parishad (UP) member Abdur Rouf said, “They went to the union and talked to the headman of the Santal families Barnabas Tudu about the distribution of aid. But Tudu told the UNO and me that he would talk about distribution with other people. But later Tudu did not come back. So we could not distribute the materials.”
The UP member also said the sandals demanded of their rehabilitation on their evicted lands and demanded for removing the barbed wire around the lands and to stop cultivation of sugarcanes.
They also demanded withdrawal of cases filed against them, he added adding that the santals demanded trial of local member of parliament Abul Kalam Azad and UP chairman Shakil Ahmed Bulbul, as they alleged, for abetting in their eviction, arson and looting.
Pawlus Master of the Santal village said, “We don’t want to accept the relief materials because we have been evicted through conspiracy and their might have plot against us by these relief materials.”
“We have placed our demands to the concerned delegation team of the ruling party. We would not accept relief material until our demands are met,” he added.
The district administration allocated 20 kg rice, one kg lentil, one litre soybean oil, one kg salt, one kg potatoes and two blankets for the affected 150 families.
Deputy commission of Gaibandha Abdus Samad told journalists that they would again try to distribute the relief materials to the santal families.
“We would try to distribute relief materials among the affected families. It’s become a question of confidence and non-confidence,” he added.
He also said that they have allocated some 10 acres kash lands at katabaria area some 5-7 km away from Sapmara union for the affected families. – Staff Reporter
