Losses much higher than estimated

Less than a year ago, Joseph Chakma spent a hefty sum to have his dream home in Tintila village. Later, he adorned it with new furniture, electronic goods, wooden floors and walls. But his happiness was short lived as the tin-shed house was razed to the ground during Friday's arson attack in three villages of Rangamati's Longadu.

Since then, Joseph, a health assistant in Longadu Upazila Health Complex, has been passing days in panic in a shelter in Tintila Ban Bihar, a Buddhist monastery in the area.

Talking to The Daily Star yesterday, he estimated his losses at Tk 15 lakh. But much to his frustration, the district administration put the figure at only Tk 3.5 lakh.

“I also had gold ornaments, utensils, a refrigerator, a brand new TV and other household items. How can they say the amount is so low?” questioned the 50-year-old man.

Moni Shankar Chakma, who lives in the same village, said the administration calculated his losses at Tk 9 lakh but “the figure would be much higher”.

Buddhajoy Chakma of Baittapara village and many others had similar experience.

The district administration has prepared a list of losses incurred by the indigenous people in the attack. It would be submitted to the disaster management department for providing the victims with compensation.

The list, which has names of 212 affected families from Tintila, Manikjorchora and Baittapara villages, shows that only one house had valuables worth Tk 15 lakh, one nine lakh, four 8 lakh and one 7 lakh.

But the victims say the list does not reflect “the real picture of the damages”.

“No government official contacted me before making the list of my damages,” said Mangal Kanti Chakma, Atharakchora union parishad chairman, and also a victim.

“I lost valuables worth at least Tk 40 lakh,” he said, adding, “I am a public representative. The district administration should have contacted me before making the list.”   

Contacted, Upazila Project Implementation Officer Abu Tyeb, who prepared the list, admitted that he did not talk to the victims.

“It would have taken at least two weeks to make an accurate list. I had to do it hurriedly because most of the victims fled after the attack,” he said, adding, “I made the estimations based on my experience of 20 to 30 years [of work].”

Following the death of a local Jubo League man, several hundred people from different Bangalee-dominated unions brought out a procession carrying the body and attacked indigenous community houses in the three villages of Longadu on Friday morning. Some 200 homes and shops were burnt and damaged.