State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Aninda Islam Amit on Tuesday said no flood-affected family in Cox’s Bazar would be deprived of relief and rehabilitation assistance as the government has allocated additional relief materials and cash support to meet the needs of those affected.
Speaking to reporters after distributing relief among flood victims in Jhilongja Union of Cox’s Bazar Sadar, the state minister said the government had stood by the flood-hit people from the very beginning and would continue extending all necessary assistance until normalcy was restored.
He said a coordination meeting held at the office of the Cox’s Bazar deputy commissioner on Monday reviewed the flood situation, ongoing relief operations and rehabilitation plans.
The meeting, attended by district and upazila administrations, local lawmakers and officials of different government agencies, also decided to provide additional allocations for every upazila based on local demand to ensure assistance reaches all affected families.
Amit said the government’s objective, under the directives of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, was not limited to emergency relief distribution but also to restoring the normal lives of affected people as quickly as possible.
He said rehabilitation efforts would include repairing damaged houses, rebuilding roads, bridges and culverts, restoring educational and religious institutions, and rapidly assessing losses in agriculture, fisheries and livestock to implement appropriate recovery measures.
Referring to fatalities caused by landslides during the recent floods, the state minister warned that living on hill slopes remained extremely dangerous.
He said the government planned to rehabilitate people residing in high-risk areas by providing land and housing in safer locations.
Stressing the importance of public awareness, he urged the media to play an active role in informing people about the risks of hill settlements.
The minister also said the government would take a tough stance against illegal hill cutting and encroachment, adding that influential groups would not be allowed to engage in such activities.
On relief operations, he said coordinated efforts involving the district and upazila administrations, the Army, Navy, Air Force, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), Coast Guard, elected representatives and private organisations had made relief distribution and rehabilitation more effective.
The government intended to strengthen this coordination further, he added.
Replying to a question about repairing damaged sluice gates and embankments, Amit said he had already discussed the matter with the state minister responsible for the Ministry of Water Resources.
He expressed hope that they would jointly visit Cox’s Bazar within the next one to two weeks to inspect the damaged infrastructure and take necessary measures.