CHAR FASSON, BHOLA, Nov 1: About 60,000 unregistered fishermen and 11,000 registered ones in Char Fasson Upazila of the district were deprived of ban-time rice allocation.
There are 44,311 registered fishers, according to the Department of Fisheries (DoF) at Char Fasson. During the 22-day fishing ban (October 7-28), 32,000 of them got rice. The remaining registered fishers and unregistered ones didn't get rice.
Hearing news of rice distribution, one fisher Jalal Ahmed of Dashkandi Village went to Jinnagarh Union office in the Sadar Upazila; but he didn't get rice as he hasn't fisher card.
Wife of fisher Nurunnabi at the union was waiting for return of her husband with rice since the morning; but Nurunnabi returned empty-handed; and Nurunnabi and his wife fell into uncertain living condition.
The same living hardship was suffered by families of Nasir Maji of Meghna Bank and of Nurun Nahar-Rafique on the embankment. The seven-member family of Rafique suffered as they had no earning for nine days.
Due to previous dues, shops stopped giving grocery items. Also Mahajan didn't give fresh advance since previous advance remained due.
President of Bangladesh Small Fishers Association-Bhola Md Ershad Farazi demanded increasing the food allocation and bringing all fishers under the facility.
Even after the ban over, fishers don't get the rice assistance, he added.
Local administration and DoF gave assurance of food assistance for all fishers.
Char Fasson Upazila Fisheries Officer Maruf Hossain Minar said, the DoF will work in bringing unregistered and real fishers under the VGF facility.
Char Fasson Upazila Nirbahi Officer Al Moman said, "We will know about the real number of fishers, and will try to give them food assistance."
