Social distancing, a must do to prevent the outbreak of coronavirus, has resulted in making labourers, rootless and floating people completely dependent on emergency public-private food assistance. But the slum dwellers and low-income people are still struggling to overcome the situation. However, their ability to fight will also end if the current situation is prolonged further.
Officials said though authorities are not sure exactly what number of people need emergency assistance; the field administration is working to provide food and essentials to the destitute. On Tuesday afternoon, a few picket men and women were seen trying to snatch a packet of relief from a pickup van in front of the Zilla Council Market in Chattogram's Laldighi Par area. They are residents of the nearby places of Shah Amanat shrine and Badar Shah shrine.
“I used to pick up used paper and plastics in the streets, what I could earn through these all day was enough for me, but now nothing is found in the streets. I did not earn a single taka in the last 2 or 3 days”, said Aklima Begum (55), a mentally disabled woman who sleeps in the yard of Amanat Shah shrine in Laldigi area.
Fatema(60), another physically disabled woman and mother of three young daughters, gathered around the pickup van for relief and said, “Everything is closed, only a few people came to the shrine, but they did not donate us anything.” In Chattogram city area, many people are seen roaming here and there to get some food and other relief provided by government agencies and private organizations and persons. The relief goods being provided by the government are distributed at the ward councilor's office of Chattogram City Corporation.
On Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday morning women were seen waiting for relief at 33 no Firingi Bazar ward councilor office. Nargis Akter said, “I worked as a domestic help at a government official's residence. But I was fired as the lock down started. Now my only duty is to look for food and other relief materials for me and my son as my husband left me years before.”
Hasan Murad Biplob, Ward Councilor of 33 no Firingi Bazar Ward, informed that the reliefs sent by the government, city corporation and Deputy Commissioner have been distributed among 80 families. “I have distributed hundreds of bags of relief among the poor of my own, but many needy families are still waiting for getting relief,” said Hasan Murad, also a local leader of ruling party Awami League.
“A small amount of rice, potato and other food stocks were found in some of the households of the Laitta Ghata slum on the banks of the Karnaphuli river. With the small amount of food, that the families had stored in order to cope with the economic downturn, they are now passing the hard time.
“But if the current unemployed situation continues, the stored food will be eaten out within a few days. Then after we have to stand on the streets for food”, said Sobahn Mia, a resident of Laitta Ghat slum. Firoza Khatun, another resident of the slum living with her disabled mother said, “In the streets at times people distribute relief but I cannot move to streets leaving my mother alone at home.”
Lock down has led to a global economic downturn. Meanwhile, the fight against hunger has already gripped the lower middle-income people in Bangladesh where around 24 million ultra-poor people live, according to a World Bank report of 2018. The government administration has been trying to reach door to door of people living in the slums in the city, remote mountainous areas and Islands to measure the crisis.
ABM Azad, Divisional Commissioner of Chattogram said, “We would get ideas soon on how many people would need assistance in anywhere of the country.” “Field-level officials are working to find out the ultra poor people for providing food, now the people who express their problems are getting priority,” he added.
Azad also said “There are enough stock of food in the country but now it’s important to establish a comprehensive distribution mechanism.” In Chattogram city police are playing a significant role to distribute food assistance door to door. Mohammad Mohsin, Officer in Charge of Kotwali Police station of Chattogram Metropolitan Police CMP, said, “In last one week we provided food to 800 households, we have to reach minimum 1500 households soon.” “Till now almost 80 percent households have minimum food stock, but the situation is changing rapidly”, he added.