A human chain has been held in Meherpur, and a memorandum given to the deputy commissioner, demanding that transparency, impartiality and accountability be ensured in the process of appointing fertiliser dealers.
The human chain was held under the banner of civil society in front of the deputy commissioner’s office at midday on Tuesday (September 22).
Nuru Rahman, Toufiqul Islam and Abul Hossain spoke on behalf of concerned civil society at the human chain. A memorandum setting out their demands was later given to the deputy commissioner.
The demands include ensuring representation for applicant fertiliser dealers on the selection committee, preparing and publishing a priority list on the basis of merit, publishing the reasons for rejecting unqualified applicants, and selecting dealers by open lottery where the number of qualified applicants exceeds the number of places.
They also demanded an investigation into possible irregularities if a transparent process is not ensured, and that nobody be given special advantage on the strength of being known to a politically influential person.
Speakers at the human chain said that among those who had applied for fertiliser dealerships, a manoeuvre was under way, in collusion with certain ruling-party leaders, to leave out the qualified and appoint party people. They strongly condemned and protested against it, and demanded that fertiliser dealers be appointed on the basis of transparency and merit.
They added that protest programmes would continue if fertiliser dealers were appointed through irregularity and mismanagement. Those at the human chain warned that they would, if necessary, build an unstoppable movement together with the district’s farmers.
Eighty percent of Meherpur’s people are farmers, they said. It must be ensured that farmers are not deprived and that crop production is not disrupted.