Cabinet asks ministries to step up relief efforts in flood-hit Haors

The Cabinet has directed the relevant ministries to bolster their relief and rehabilitation efforts in the flood-hit Haosr or backswamps.

Senior Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 24 April 2017, 02:52 PM
Updated : 24 April 2017, 02:53 PM

The directive came on Monday in a meeting of the Cabinet with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.

“The relief and rehabilitation programme are already under way. The prime minister directed the authorities concerned to make it public,” Cabinet Secretary Mohammad Shafiul Alam told reporters in a routine briefing after the meeting.

“The local authorities have been asked to do whatever necessary. People should feel that something has been done for them… the relief ministry has completed its action plan,” he said.

"The prime minister directed that the government relief effort should be made known to the public.”

The boro crops in seven districts – Sunamganj, Sylhet, Maulvibazar, Habiganj, Kishoreganj, Netrokona and Brhmanbarhia were submerged with flood water late last month affecting millions of people in the region.

The protection dam around the Haor was not repaired properly because of the alleged corruption in construction work that made the dam vulnerable to the onrush of water from the upper riparian.

The Cabinet secretary, however, said the issue of the dam was not discussed in the meeting, rather the Cabinet emphasised relief efforts.

The government has announced distribution of 30 kg of rice and Tk 500 per month for each of the 330,000 affected families in the area for 100 days.