The ongoing nationwide shutdown to rein in the spread of the deadly coronavirus has left many lower income people across the country in pain as their means of income have been cut off.
Considering the situation, the government has started distributing rice and other daily essentials to feed these people under social safety net programmes.
Nevertheless, reports of people agitating for relief in recent days suggest that many among the poor still remain without relief assistance.
On Mondy, jobless and hungry people, demanding relief assistance, took to the streets in Tangail and Dinajpur.
As many as 300 locals in Dewlabari union blocked the Dhaka-Mymensingh Highway near Porabari in Ghatail upazila of Tangail, demanding relief assistance.
Demonstrators Jahid Hasan and Mazed said they are not getting relief assistance from local representatives despite repeated and urgent pleas for help.
"We are now jobless and hunger has forced us to take to the streets for food, said the demonstrators.
Speaking about the allegations, Ghatail upazila nirbahi officer Anjan Kumar Sarkar said: "We have taken the names of people who have been demonstrating on the streets so that they can get relief as soon as possible."
He also said locals have been requested to contact representatives if they were left out of the relief list.
Meanwhile, hungry people demanding relief assistance in Sundarban Union of Dinajpur Sadar upazila, also blocked the Dinajpur-Rangpur Highway.
Demonstrators alleged that Ashok Kumar, chairman of Sundarban Union Parishad distributed relief among his near and dear ones while they remain without any relief assistance till now.
However, the agitators withdrew the road blockade after Sadar Upazila Assistant Commissioner (land) Shariar Rahman assured them of giving them relief.
