Editorial
Scheming behind relief schemes
Let the guilty pay …
Images of corruption in relation to relief schemes have generally been a matter of deep concern in Bangladesh. Even so, one would have thought that with democracy taking roots, in however tenuous a manner, in the country, such corruption were fast getting to be a thing of the past. The belief now turns out to have been rather misplaced. As a report in this newspaper yesterday pointed out, as many as 67 tonnes of rice and wheat earmarked for a test relief programme in Sadullapur of Gaibandha district have been made use of, on paper. In other words, the items were not distributed and the projects under the programme --- small-scale repairs of schools and mosques --- were not undertaken.
That begs the question: where did these 67 tonnes of rice and wheat go? The sales of the foodgrains would have fetched Tk. 25 lakh which would have gone into the repair work. That simply did not happen because those who won the contracts for the job happily received the foodgrains and then did nothing. The chairmen of the 57 project committees involved have no answer at all to the question of what they did with the rice and wheat and why the repairs were not undertaken. Despite the food and disaster management ministry's serving several notices on the committee presidents, no answers have come forth. Worse, at least one government official who had the courage to inquire into the corruption was conveniently moved to the Chittagong Hill Tracts. This is a clear sign of powerful elements among the political circles influencing decision, or the lack of it, on the disappearance of the foodgrains. Obviously, the food ministry has clear notions of what happened here and has even instituted inquiries into the scandal. Those inquiries have then been stymied in mysterious manner.
It is a matter which calls for a serious investigation, for two clear reasons. The first is to uncover the truth of what the 57 committee leaders did with the foodgrains; and the second is to have the guilty face the law even if they cough up the money that could have accrued from the sales of the rice and wheat. Let the inquiry be thorough and let all the facts associated with the disappearance of the foodgrains be made public. Such scandals must make some heads roll.
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