BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia on Sunday demanded the government declare the flood-hit haor areas as disaster ones for the next six months.
In a statement, she also alleged that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has failed to realise the severity of the situation the haor people are going through flowing the flashflood.
“I strongly demand the government announce the haor areas as disaster zones for the next six months, and take sincere and emergency steps to ensure the welfare of the victims and protect the interests of the seriously affected people,” the BNP chief said.
She also urged all irrespective of their party and opinion to stand beside the disaster-hit haor people.
Referring to the Prime Minister’s today’s visit to Sunamganj haor areas, Khaleda said, “I’m deeply worried over the overall situation in the haor areas. I got a little bit optimistic over the news of Sheikh Hasina’s visit to the affected areas as the Prime Minister. She is mainly responsible for tackling the disaster, no matter how she is in power.”
She further said, “I’d an expectation that after her visit she (PM) would declare the areas as disaster zones. Unfortunately, she didn’t. “Observing her traditional activities and statements in the affected areas, it seems to me that she has failed to realise the gravity of the situation or she didn’t want to admit it.”
Khaleda urged the government to provide the victims with food assistance until the harvest of new crops in the haor areas alongside waiving the interest of the farmers’ agriculture loan and suspending the installment collection of all types of loan.
The BNP chief also demanded the government provide the affected farmers with compensation and interest-free and long-term loan.
Besides, she urged the government to take effective steps for carrying relief activities, rehabilitating the victims and ensuring proper treatment for them.
Khaleda also urged the government not to do politics over the sufferings of the flood victims. “I also demand steps for immediate implementation of haor development plans checking corruption, irregularities, the lack of coordination and bureaucratic tangle.”
“Instead of carrying out relief activities it has become more important for the ruling party to dismiss media reports that said fish and aquatic animals in the haor areas died following the mixture of uranium materials from the neighbouring country,” the BNP chief said in the statement.
Khaleda said she along with the country’s people have got shacked as the cabinet meeting burst into laughter over the issue when people were awfully suffering after having hit by the flashflood.
The BNP chief said she and people believe that the ruling party’s corruption, misdeeds and failure caused the disaster in the haor areas alongside the natural adversity.
She urged the government to work out a national grand plan to overcome the losses following the damage of crops, water resources, and the deaths of fish, aquatic animals and cattle.
source:UNB
