Rajbiraj, October 12:

Flood victims of Saptari district complained here today that they are not getting relief.

Their complaints come at a time when authorities concerned are claiming that they have distributed relief amounting to Rs 10 million to over 4000 flood victims of 25 VDCs in Saptari district under the World Food Programme.

The flood victims, saying that they have not received relief yet, gheraoed president of the Nepal Red Cross (Saptari chapter) Jogendra Bhagat in Rajbiraj for three hours today.

“We have been forced to stage a demonstration as real flood victims have been deprived of relief,” Karodevi Mahato of Pakari-7, one of some 2,000 flood victims of different VDCs, who arrived in Rajbiraj to stage a demonstration.

“Relief provided by the WFP has not reached the real victims due to a dispute,” an official of the Saptari chapter of the Nepal Red Cross said.

Former chairman of the chapter Bijayananda Jha, coordinator of the relief distribution committee Jagadish Aryal, treasurer Gajendra Kumar Singh and Danalal Yadav, accusing president Bhagat of distributing relief materials recklessly, had sent a letter to the central office of the Red Cross a week ago. The letter has accused Bhagat of objecting over the list of flood victims and not distributing relief to them.