Shuvosangho, a goodwill organisation of Bashundhara Group, has conducted a courtyard meeting in Rangabali Upazila of Patuakhali demanding state recognition of November 12 as the Upukul Dibas (Coastal Day), addressing the security issues connected to people’s lives and belongings in the coastal area.
During the meeting, the Shuvosangho friends, men and women of the rural area commemorated the devastating Bhola Cyclone, which struck on November 12 1970.
The meeting also brought people from different classes and professions to discuss the impact of the cyclone and to press home their demand for the recognition of Coastal Day.
The meeting took place at Rangabali Union of the upazila on Tuesday where approximately 35 local men and women participated enthusiastically.
On this day in 1970, no village or home along the coastal areas of the region was spared from the devastation of the cyclone.
Entire families lost their lives and the landscape was littered with corpses—houses, ponds, canals, and rivers were filled with the dead.
The island of Rangabali, located in the Bay of Bengal, became a "death trap" due to the ferocious cyclone. The sky was heavy with the cries of those who had lost their dear and near ones.
Fifty-four years later, many survivors of the horrific havoc are still alive and remember that day with shock and sorrow.
The memories of losing family members during the catastrophic cyclone continue to haunt them at the time.
The event was chaired by Bashundhara Shuvosangho Rangabali branch coordinator, M Sohel while key speakers included Kamrul Hasan, president of Rangabali Press Club and Mohsin Talukdar, coordinator of an NGO working on climate issues.
The speakers also emphasised the need to ensure recognition of the legitimate demands of the people living in the country’s coastal regions.
They also proposed that November 12 be officially declared “Coastal Day” by the government to commemorate the cyclone and highlight the rights and needs of the coastal people.
They also called for establishing a Coastal Ministry to address environmental concerns and challenges faced by the people of at least 19 coastal districts.
The participants discussed the long-standing demand of coastal communities to make this day a symbol of their struggles, both to remember the tragedy and to fight for their rights and justice.
Among those present at the meeting were former office secretary of Bashundhara Shuvosangho Rangabali branch, Tuhin Raj and Zayan Ahmed Robin, Payra Port correspondent of the Daily Nayadiganta.
Bd-pratidin English/Lutful Hoque
