Dead people collecting grant money!

At least four dead workers have apparently collected grant money awarded to 400 hundred tea workers at Sreebari Tea Garden in Chunarughat upazila of Habiganj.

Upon approval of upazila social services officer and upazila nirbahi officer (UNO), the one-tine Tk 5,000-grant is being given at the directive of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to impoverished tea workers at different tea gardens in the country every year.

According to tea worker leader Rupu Karmakar, out of total 1,200 workers at Sreebari Tea Garden, 400 were supposed to receive the grant this year.

The garden's worker Kalicharan Rikiason died on November 13 in 2019. But his name was in the list of grant recipients for this year under serial number 205 and the money was collected on his behalf in July the same year. 

His wife Mousumi Rikiason said, "The list was made after my husband died. Although my husband's name is still in the list, I've never received the money."

The money was also collected for Hirannanda Das, who died on December 12 in 2019, but the name was included in the grant list made for this year.

Shantush Tanti, a member of the local union parishad, said that names of two others -- Bindu Kharia and Thakurmoni Kal, who died in the last two to three years -- also made it to this year's list.

"Neither the tea garden Panchayat president nor the social services department in the upazila informed me that they were preparing a list for the grant," he alleged.

Claiming that the committee members collected bribe include names of workers in the list, he said such irregularity is a violation of the "Cha Sramikder Jibanman Unnayan Karmasuchi Bastobayan Nitimala-2013".

A number of unscrupulous worker leaders including the Panchayat president have been cheating innocent workers by embezzling their money in the name of dead, widow or mentally unbalanced people, alleged a local named Mishu Acharjee.

Unless the criminals are brought to book, a clash might erupt over the irregularities and the president of the Panchayat will be responsible for any such untoward incident, he also said.

Jagannath Rikmon, a worker at Sreebari Tea Garden, said, "I gave them money as well as photocopy of my identity card with the assurance of including my name in the list of the grant. I saw my name the list, but I didn't get the money yet."

"I also handed them money and the photocopy of my identity card so they would enlist me. But I can't find my name in the list. When I asked the Panchayat head about it, he asked me to wait longer," said another tea worker Suman Nunia.

Tea worker leader Rupu Karmakar said Panchayat President Ranjit Rikmun with the connivance of Sajan Karmakar, Ram Babu Tati and Vijay Gowala are involved in various irregularities such as accepting bribe in exchange for inclusion of names of workers who are not eligible to receive the grant.

Although the workers filed written complaints against the corrupt individuals with the UNO, social services officer and officer-in-charge of police station in Chunarughat, no action were taken against them, h added.

Asked about the accusations, Sajan Karmakar told this correspondent that he collected more or less Tk 500 from the workers on behalf of the Panchayat chief after assuring that names of the workers who paid the money to him would be included in the grant list for this year.

Ranjit Rikmun, the Panchayat president, however, denied the allegations and said that he did not have the sole authority in the process of selecting grant recipients. 

Chunarughat Upazila Social Services Officer Barindra Chandra Roy said they stopped disbursing the grant after receiving written complaints from workers of Sreebari Tea Garden.