The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

Army Chief General Moeen U Ahmed yesterday requested all NGOs and banks to suspend loan repayments in the cyclone-hit areas for the next four months considering the distress of the affected people.

"I hope that they (NGOs and banks) will take steps to waive four months' loan installments in the cyclone-affected areas t if it could be possible, don't force the affected people to repay the loan by that time," he said while receiving cheques and relief goods for the cyclone victims from different individuals and organizations at the Army Headquarters mess in the city.

"To create pressure on people for loan installments at this shattering moment is very awful," General Moeen said, adding "the job of the NGOs is to helping poor people, not torturing them."

The Army Chief received cheques of about Tk 2.25 crore and other relief items for Bangladesh Army Relief Fund.

The organisations and individuals, who donated to the fund, are

Premier Bank and Bank Asia Tk 50 lakh, Col (retd) Jalaluddin, on behalf of USA expatriate Shawkat Hossain, US$ 50,000, Salauddin Ahmed of Bangladesh Foundation, Florida US$ 6,500, Purbani Group Tk 10 lakh, Al Amin Group Tk 20 lakh, Paradise Group, Hamdard Laboratories and Dhaka Customs Agent Association and Aid Group Tk 5 lakh each, Al-Iraqi Association Tk 7 lakh, Dhaka Bank Tk Tk 5.10 lakh, Maj Gen Jibon Kanai Das on behalf of Bangladesh Ordinance Factory Tk 3 lakh, Maj Gen Ashab Uddin on behalf of Savar Golf Club, Merchant Association Madhabdi Tk 3.15 lakh, Sylhet Division Development Parisad and Healthcare Pharmaceutical Company Ltd Tk 2 lakh each, Rawa Ladies Club, Well-talk International, RS Shipping and Trading Company Ltd and Bangladesh Book Publishers' and Seller Association Tk 1 lakh each.

Brig Gen Nizam on behalf of Shahid Bir Uttam Lt Anwar Girls' College also handed over 500 cartons foodstuff, Confidence Salt 3mts salt, Rotary Club of Dhaka Purbasha cheque of Tk 1 lakh and foodstuffs and cloths, My One Television Tk 50,000, Khandakar Faizul Morsalin and Khandakar Faizur Rahman Tk 50,000, Institute if Diploma Engineers' 2,000 pcs sweaters, Ananda Niketan English Medium School, Sylhet cheque of Tk 1.38 lakh and 44 cartons foodstuffs, Sylhet Foundation cheque of Tk 1 lakh, and six power tillers, Sylhet Chamber of Commerce six power tillers, foodstuffs and cloths and Madhabdi SP Institution cheque of Tk 25,000.