The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has called for measures to be taken to prevent abnormal boat rental demands during the ongoing floods in Sylhet. It also called on the government to intensify its response to the humanitarian catastrophe in the flood-hit areas. The call was made in a statement on Saturday.
Citing media sources, the statement said, "In the midst of such a catastrophe, everyone needs to come forward with humanity. But in order to rescue the stranded people, some unscrupulous boat owners and sailors are demanding 50,000 rupees instead of 800 rupees. A man named Maruf Ahmed was quoted in the media as saying that he encountered such an unusual situation on Friday afternoon while fetching his pregnant wife from her village home in Sylhet. Although he agreed to pay up to 40,000 rupees, the boatman did not agree.
In a statement, National Human Rights Commission chairperson Nasima Begum said the steps taken by the government to deal with the humanitarian catastrophe in flood-hit areas including Sylhet, Sunamganj and Kurigram need to be made more effective. In addition to the speedy implementation of these measures, the protection of human rights needs to be taken into consideration at the core of these activities.
The statement said, "As the demand for candles has increased due to lack of electricity, it is learned that candles of Tk 5 are being sold at Tk 50. It is desirable that everyone behave humanely in the worst flood of all time. Such inhumanity is not acceptable in any way. Rather it is unfair.
The letter also said that a letter has been sent to the Sylhet district administration to take necessary action in this regard.
The commission called upon the people concerned to respond to the food, water and electricity crisis in the flood-hit areas and rescue the stranded people quickly. Besides, priority was given to women, children, old, sick and disabled people in these activities and special arrangements were made for these people in the shelters. It is especially important to have adequate security and separate toilet facilities for women. The statement said that a letter has been sent to the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief to take necessary steps in this regard.