<i>Cold wave comes only to tell on the poor</i>
Septuagenarian Rozina having meal beside a fire at a slum in Dinajpur as the second spell of cold wave appeared as a source of added suffering to the poor people who can hardly afford warm clothes. Photo: STAR
The second spell of the cold wave this season has come as an added misery for the poor and disadvantaged people, especially in the northern districts. The fresh cold wave from Sunday has disrupted normal life in Thakurgaon and Panchagarh districts, reports our Thakurgaon correspondent. As people are forced to stay indoors, business and official activities are hampered while students' attendance in schools and colleges fell. The minimum temperature recorded in Thakurgaon was 10 degrees Celsius while it was nine degrees in Panchagarh district yesterday, local met office sources said. The sun remained invisible during the last two days. Only a couple of days before, the region faced a two-week long cold wave that started in mid-December last year. Although different government and non-government organisations are distributing warm clothes among the poor people but it is too inadequate for the demand. "I wrote to the higher authorities for more blankets and warm clothes for distribution among the poor cold-hit people. We have also requested solvent people to help the poor. The district administration has distributed several hundred blankets," Thakurgaon Deputy Commissioner Munshi Shahabuddin Ahmed said. Agricultural activities are being disturbed as farmers cannot work in crop fields due to the chilling cold, said Daliluddin, deputy director of Thakurgaon Department of Agriculture Extension. Increasing number of patients, especially children and elderly people, are coming to hospitals with cold-related diseases, said Dr Khairul Kabir, acting civil surgeon of Thakurgaon. Seventeen people died of cold related diseases during last spell of cold wave in Thakurgaon district, family and hospital sources said. Our Chapainawabganj Correspondent adds: Poor people who can hardly afford warm cloths are the worst sufferers of the ongoing cold wave. Septuagenarian Rahima Bewa shivers in cold at her tiny hut in Shehala Colony Moholla of Chapainawabganj municipality area as she has no warm cloths. The poor woman is passing a miserable life as she is yet to get old age allowance or vulnerable group feeding (VGF) card or any other facilities from the government authorities. Her husband died 35 years ago. Her two sons also died five years ago. "I am alone and helpless. Earlier I worked as a maid in others' house but now I am too weak. I get something to eat when people give and starve otherwise. I need a blanket in this winter. I also want a VGF card or old age allowance," said Rahima. Like Rahima, many people are crying for warm cloths. Our staff correspondent reports from Khulna: Biting cold claimed three lives in Batiaghata upazila of Khulna district on Saturday and Sunday. They are -- Abdul Gani Sheikh, 108, Rizia Begum, 82, and Mohammad Ali Howlader, 68, -- all from Bhandarkot union under the same upazila. Affected with various cold-related diseases, over a hundred children and elderly men and women were admitted to upazila health complex during last one week, said upazila Chairman Ashraful Alam Khan. Patients are suffering due to shortage of doctors and crisis of medicines, he said.
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