Trading on human misery at its worst

The flood-stricken are in a desperate situation as relief operations still lack the pace and reach that could mitigate their compounded sufferings. Imagine how they felt when some inedible stuff was handed over to them in the name of relief. That makes a mockery of the whole relief plan and reduces the words and commitments of the ruling party leaders into meaningless expression of concern for the flood victims. What could be more inhuman than asking the hungry people to eat some stinking, putrid rice? This kind of extreme disregard for human lives cannot be condoned.

This criminal lapse is attributable to negligence of duty at different points, particularly at source. There was nobody to check the quality of the rice when it was being packaged and prepared for distribution among flood victims. There was certainly the need for taking a modicum of care with the items being passed off as edibles.

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This kind of nonchalance towards flood victims, if not redressed at the earliest, could be repeated by those waiting in the wings to grab any opportunity for trading on human miseries. The Manikganj incident may raise questions about the sincerity and effectiveness of relief operations.

We believe the government would not fail to initiate a probe into the incident, find out the culprits, and punish them, so that such a raw deal to suffering humanity is never ever repeated.

We are surely not asking for too much.