Human chain held demanding relief in Chattogram

Low-income people on Thursday organised a human chain in Chattogram demanding relief items.

The demonstration, which began around 8am, stretched from the port city's Colonel Hat to Monsurabad area. Later around 11am, officers from the Akbar Shah police station persuaded the protesters to disperse from the road.

Inspector (Investigation) Bikash Sarkar confirmed the matter to The Business Standard.

According to sources, the demonstrators are from the Ward 13 under the Uttar Kattali area, which was divided into nine zones for distributing relief to local needy people amid the Covid-19 pandemic shutdown.

The authorities have selected 100 people from each zone as recipients of the relief items. Under the fourth stage of the distribution on Wednesday, 364 packets of relief were distributed in areas including New Monsurabad, Munshipara and Biswas Para.

Local people, who did not get any relief on that day, organised the human chain demonstration on Thursday, said authorities.

Speaking to The Business Standard, Ward 13 Councillor Nesar Ahmad Manju said, "My ward received the relief allocated by the government in four stages. We distributed 78 food packets on the first stage, 72 on the second stage, 182 on the third stage and 364 on the fourth stage.

"I made a list [of relief item recipients] with the help of local people. On Thursday, others [who did not get any relief] held a human chain demonstration. I am trying to convince them that relief items will be distributed to them in the next stages."