B. Chowdhury Tuhin, Noakhali

Widespread allegations of farmer harassment, violation of government guidelines, extreme arbitrariness, misconduct, and bribery have surfaced against Subarna Bhanja, the Officer-in-Charge (OC LSD) of the Begumganj upazila food godown in Noakhali.

 Local farmers claimed they are being forced to navigate a corrupt network and suffer chronic delays simply to sell their paddy during the ongoing internal Boro procurement season.

An on-site visit to the food godown corroborated several of these grievances voiced by the affected farmers, who also noted the official's frequent absence during office hours. A farmer from Chandraganj shared that despite delivering his paddy a week ago, he has yet to receive his bill. He lamented that he has been repeatedly tossed from one desk to another for the last seven days, while the OC refuses to listen to his complaints.

Another farmer, Saifuddin Ahmed Chowdhury from South East Ekhlaspur, narrated how he brought his harvest on a pre-scheduled date after formally informing the official, only to face deliberate administrative procrastination.

 The week-long stagnation caused the moisture level of his paddy to rise. When Saifuddin attempted to dry the grains using a government fan available at the facility, the OC reportedly misbehaved with him. Saifuddin later discovered that smooth entry to the godown is virtually impossible unless financial kickbacks are arranged with the OC beforehand.

The suffering extends to vulnerable individuals as well. An ailing farmer, identified as Haq Saheb from Nazirpur Kerani Bari, was found weeping outside the locked main gate of the godown at 11:00 AM, having waited over an hour just to collect his paddy sale documentation. Another farmer named Sharif alleged that even after securing an official serial number, unloading loaded trucks is deliberately halted for days. According to him, the processing is blocked until farmers agree to a verbal per-ton bribery contract, which eventually forces desperate farmers to strike a deal with the OC through an office peon named Enam. Aggrieved farmers have strongly demanded the immediate formation of an administrative probe committee to investigate the situation.

When contacted, the accused OC LSD Subarna Bhanja denied all allegations regarding his involvement in the irregularities. However, Begumganj Upazila Food Officer (TCF) Md. Kamrul Hasan conceded that such misconduct could be occurring given the nature and consistency of the complaints. District Food Officer (DC Food) Md. Asif Parvez stated that he became aware of the situation through journalists and promised swift action. He assured that an investigation committee would be formed to probe the matter, and if the allegations are proven true, recommendations for strict punitive measures would be forwarded to the directorate.

This year, the government has set an internal Boro procurement target of 11,220 metric tons for the Noakhali district, with the Begumganj upazila food godown allocated a specific target of 1,799 metric tons.