Relief supplies near expiry in Jamalpur distributed after two years
Expired relief supplies
Some products have already expired while others have only two days left before their expiry dates. These food items were found in relief bags distributed by the government among disadvantaged people in Melandaha of Jamalpur. The relief bags allocated for the 2024 to 2025 fiscal year were distributed last September. The relevant authorities could not explain why relief supplies nearing expiry were distributed nearly two years later.
The relief supplies were distributed from the Upazila Parishad office on September 2 and 6. The office of the Upazila Project Implementation Officer (PIO) said relief bags were given to 90 disadvantaged people over the two days.
Each bag contained 10 kilograms of rice, one kilogram each of oil, salt, sugar and lentils, 200 grams of turmeric powder and 100 grams each of coriander and chili powder. The packages were labeled, “Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, For Free Distribution as Relief Supplies, Department of Disaster Management, Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief, Fiscal Year 2024 to 2025.”
Several recipients of the relief supplies complained that the quality of the food products was “not good.” An Agamir Somoy correspondent visited the homes of several recipients and saw the products.
Hasna Begum of Melandaha Municipality received relief on September 2. The salt in her bag expired on August 31, two days before she received the relief. The oil in the same bag will expire on September 16. The expiry dates of the remaining products will also end this month.
The bags received by Liton and Barek on the same day also contained products with these expiry dates.
Ratna Begum, Josna Begum and Hurmuz from the Molikadangga area received relief on September 6. The salt in Ratna’s bag expired on September 8. The oil in that bag will expire just two days later.
The salt in Josna Begum’s bag expires today. Hurmuz from the Hazarabari area received salt that had expired five days earlier. The oil in his bag will expire on September 20.
Josna Begum and several other relief recipients said many of the products in the bags were old and had become clumped. Some packets were torn.
Ratna said, “The salt was clumped. The sugar and lentil packets were slightly torn. If they are expired then they cannot be eaten. If such old items are given so long after they were supplied then of course they will expire.”
“We are uneducated people. We cannot check the expiry dates. We brought them home and kept them just as they were given. I did not know that the salt had expired. If the expiry dates of the other products also pass within a few days then we will not be able to finish eating them,” Hasna Begum said regretfully.
Human rights activist Jahangir Selim said, “If the relief supplies allocated for the 2024 to 2025 fiscal year had been distributed during that fiscal year or within the following fiscal year the products might not have expired. It was in no way right to hand expired relief supplies to people. It should be investigated where these products were stored and for how long.”
Melandaha Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Zinnatul Ara said she received a letter regarding the relief supplies in early July. She told Agamir Somoy, “The relief supplies arrived a few days later. The list of distressed people was then prepared and the supplies were distributed.”
Jamalpur District Relief and Rehabilitation Officer Md. Abdullahhel Kafi said the relief supplies arrived from the ministry in June and July. They were then sent to the upazila level. However, he claimed that he did not know how the supplies were distributed in Melandaha.
Melandaha Upazila Project Implementation Officer (additional charge) Md. Tajuddin said, “These relief supplies were provided by the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief for people in flood affected areas. As there was no flood this year, the district office sent them for distribution. There is time to distribute these relief supplies until September. However, there should not be any expired products among the relief supplies.”
No official could give a satisfactory explanation as to how the expired products ended up among the relief supplies. However, District Commissioner Mohammad Yousuf Ali said necessary measures will be taken in accordance with the rules including issuing show cause notices in connection with the incident.
