Cachar: District Administration Prevents Misappropriation of Government-Allocated Flood Relief in Borkhola village

The Cachar district administration successfully thwarted an attempt to embezzle government-allocated relief meant for flood victims in the Rajnagar GP under the Borkhola Assembly Constituency. The relief materials, which included 240 sacks of rice, 80 sacks of lentils, 720 litres of oil, and 720 kg of salt, were intended for distribution to the flood-affected people of the area.

On July 5, Enamul Haque Laskar, the headmaster of R.A. Memorial School in Rajnagar GP, received the relief materials. However, locals alleged that after distributing a portion of the materials, the remainder was stored in a shop in Rajnagar Patarigram with the intention of being misappropriated.

In response to these allegations, the Cachar district administration, accompanied by a substantial police force, raided the shop and recovered the undistributed relief materials. Locals have accused Headmaster Enamul Haque Laskar, Salchapra Block Congress President Nazrul Islam Barbhuiya, and two other local individuals of being involved in the attempted misappropriation.

One local, speaking to the media, said, “The day before yesterday when we shared a video of this incident online, Nazrul Islam Barbhuiya, the former Anchalik Panchayat, said such videos won’t work, these are just street talks. He even threatened those who shared the video. The teacher who received the relief goods is knee-deep in this corruption and misappropriation of goods. We have called him at least 500 times, but he never picked up the call.” Another local affected by the alleged stealing of these goods said, “Out of 60 bags of cattle feed, our villagers just got 250 grams per family. The rest of the fodder has disappeared, and we don’t know where.” Those who brought this incident to light after sharing the videos on social media revealed, they have been receiving threats and violent comments online.

Efforts to contact Headmaster Enamul Haque Laskar for his comments were unsuccessful. However, Salchapra Block Congress President Nazrul Islam Barbhuiya stated that he was unaware of any misappropriation and denied involvement. He mentioned that, to his knowledge, Headmaster Enamul Haque Laskar had received the relief materials as part of the distribution efforts.

The district administration’s swift action has been praised by the local community, who expressed their relief at recovering the much-needed supplies. Investigations into the incident are ongoing to ensure accountability and prevent future occurrences.