The New Nation - Internet Edition

UNB, Dhaka

Awami League leadership on Monday called for declaring the post-cyclone situation as 'national disaster' and forming an all-party relief committee to overcome what they apprehend as a grim scenario arising out of the calamity.

Addressing a press conference at the party's Dhanmondi office, AL presidium member Suranjit Sengupta called for supplying relief materials to victims considering it a "warlike' situation.

He also suggested that headquarters of the "temporary' government be shifted to Barisal to ensure effective coordination of the relief operation.

Sengupta, who led a relief team that visited the cyclone-affected Barguna district, suggested that a Secretary should be appointed to each cyclone-affected district and a joint secretary to each upazila so they could take instant decision to tackle the situation averting bureaucratic tangles.

" It would not be so useful by bureaucratic committee, rather there should be a committee representing local citizens to deal with the situation," he said.

Suranjit noted that the November 15 cyclone 'Sidr' was fallout of climate change for which developed nations are responsible and asked the government to realize compensation through negotiations with them for the damages suffered by Bangladesh.

AL leader Abdul Mannan, in a written statement, said over 4,000 people were killed, 2000 injured and 500 went missing alone in Barguna district. He said at least 40,000 cattle heads perished in the storm.

The party statement said it is not possible for the government alone to tackle the situation and called for formation of an all-party relief committee for reaching relief goods to the victims. The Awami League demanded that NGOs should waive all interest on loans and sanction new loans, supplying 20kg food-grain to each VGF card holder a month, starting Food for Work Program immediately and 15-year moratorium on recovering interest on loans in the cyclone-hit districts.

The party also demanded exemption of interest on all agricultural credits and sanctioning long-term loans. Besides, the AL called for supplying books and paper to students free of cost, immediate restoration of electricity supply and installation of tubewells. Mannan said people were misled for wrong storm-signaling system and requested the authority to develop the existing signaling system and make it more simple so that people can understand the pre-storm signal easily.

The AL also demanded strengthening afforestation programme in the coastal areas of the country.

Party leaders Tofail Ahmed, Syed Ashraful Islam, Aktaruzzaman, Dr Mostafa Jalal Mahiuddin, vice-principal Abdus Shahid, Nazma Rahman, Maj Gen (Retd) Subid Ali Bhuiyan, Dr Abdur Razzak, Dr Dipu Moni and Asim Kumar Ukil, among others, were present at the briefing.