Several thousand people from two unions of Jaldhaka upazila besieged Nilphamari-Jaldhaka road at Tengonmari point yesterday demanding rice under vulnerable group feeding (VGF) program for them.

Thousands of people put up blockade on
Jaldhaka-Nilphamari Road on Sunday demanding VGP rice. Banglar Chokh

As a result the road communication of the district town was snapped with three upazilas for about three hours. Police made several attempts to restore the road communication by pushing back the agitators but failed. Later the agitating people withdrew road blockade following assurance of the district administration. The grand alliance law maker of Jatiya Party (JP) from Nilphamari - 3 constituency asked the Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) of Jaldhaka to suspend the VGF rice distribution in Khutamara and Balagram unions of the upazila a week back, sources said.

The UNO recommended the list of VGF recipients submitted by the local body representatives of the two unions. The chairmen and majority members of the two unions belong to the ruling Awami League (AL) party. The chairmen of Khutamara and Balagram union parishads Abu Sayeed Shamim and Tohidul Islam said that the move of the UNO annoyed the JP lawmaker as he ignored the list of VGF recipients submitted by his party leaders earlier. The lawmaker termed the list submitted by the local body representatives as incorrect and ordered the UNO to stop rice distribution in the two unions.

The agitating people alleged that the poor people of different unions are getting VGF rice but the people of the two unions were not getting it though they are passing hard time as they have no work after aman plantation. They also said that they besieged the two union parishad offices earlier but got no remedy to the problem. Finding no way they besieged the Nilphamari-Jaldhaka road Sunday.

On behalf of the district administration the upazila parishad chairman of Jaldhaka Sayed Ali assured the agitators that the district administration would take steps to solve the problem within next 24 hours. While contacted the grand alliance co-ordinator of Jaldhaka upazila Shafi Hossen Rubel said that the lawmaker suspended VGF rice distribution of Khutamara and Balagram union as the list of VGF recipients needs necessary correction.

-New Nation