Syndicate lead by Chhatra League, Jubo League lays hands on temple’s rice

The government allocates rice for temples on the occasion of Durga Puja. The temple committees collect that rice from the government warehouses and sell that.

But, in seven upazilas of Manikganj district, the temple committees are unable to collect the rice allocated for the temples. Forming a syndicate, leaders and activists of Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) and Jubo League are forcing the temple committees to sell Tk 40-per kg rice at Tk 28-31.

Allegations have it that they are doing this business in collusion with the government food warehouse officials. As a result, the temple committees are being deprived of their fair share.

District Puja Udjapan Parishad sources said that like every year the government has assisted the temple committees this time as well with the cost of organising the puja.

Demand notes (DO) of 500kg of rice for each temple were forwarded from the office of the upazila food controller. As per rules, the temple committees were supposed to be supplied rice against these demand notes.

However, members of the syndicate formed for the purchase and sale of this rice in all upazilas in the district have been buying this rice at much lower price putting pressure on the president and general secretary of the temple committee.

District Puja Udjapan Parishad general secretary Anirban Paul said 500kg of rice was allocated to each of the 548 temples in the district which amounted to a total of 274 tonnes. The temple committees are being compelled to sell the rice to the syndicate at a price, which is 10 taka less on average than the market price.

As per that record, Tk 2.74 million from government’s grant for the puja is being skimmed. This embezzlement has been happening every year. Informing the administration of this also could not solve it, Anirban Paul added.

Visiting the office of Daulatpur upazila food godown’s acting officer on Sunday an employee was seen collecting signatures from presidents and general secretaries of different temple committees inside a the room of that officer.

Sitting inside the room, a youth was handing over Tk 14,000 to the temple committee representatives after collecting their signatures on a blank sheet of paper. The youth refused to disclose his name.

Talking to him, it was found that by forming a syndicate Daulatpur upazila unit Chhatra League general secretary Atwar Rahman was paying the temple committee Tk 12 less per kg than the price the government fixed. The youth said that he was there as a representative of Atwar Rahman.

Mandarta Purbapara Sarbojanin Durgamandir Committee president Upendra Mandal said they are forced to sell the rice at a lower price to the syndicate.

However, denying this allegation, BCL leader Atwar Rahman said that the temple committees have been paid less as the price of rice in the upazila is lower due to locations.

Badal Karmaker, president of Uchutia Karmakerpara Sarbojanin Dugapujamandap Committee in the Sadar upazila said, he was given Tk 15,500 for 500 kg of rice at the rate of Tk 31 per kg after he signed the DO. They were forced to sell the rice at a lesser price than the market because of the syndicate.

The names that are coming up in the syndicate in Manikganj sadar upazila are -- member of Manikganj municipality ward no. 7 Kabir Hossain, former joint general secretary of district Jubo League unit Mahbub Alam and Tareq Khan.

Among them, Kabir Hossain claimed that some of the temple committees are taking rice while some others are selling them. But they are not being paid less than the market price.

District food controller Sheikh Riyad Kamal said, “Distributing the rice is our responsibility. However, it is none of our concern if the temple committee sells the rice to anyone. There is no scope for any of us (from the food warehouse) to be involved in this process.”