1,822 more homeless families to get PM’s housing gift in Rajshahi

Some 1,822 more landless and homeless families
will get houses as gifts by the generosity of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in
five districts in Rajshahi division tomorrow.

They will get the houses in the second stage of the fourth phase of Ashrayan-
2 project to mark the Mujib Barsha. On March 7, 2020, Prime Minister Sheikh
Hasina had announced that none will remain homeless in Bangladesh.

Md. Imtiaz Hossain, additional commissioner (Revenue) of Rajshahi Division,
told BSS that the Premier will launch distribution of the houses with land
ownership documents and keys to the beneficiary families virtually tomorrow
(Wednesday).

A total of three districts– Naogaon, Natore and Pabna- are also going to be
declared as free of landless and homeless people in the division.

Earlier on the first stage of fourth phase on March 22 last, Rajshahi,
Chapainwabganj and Joypurhat districts were declared as free of landless and
homeless people.

He said there were 31,930 homeless and landless families in ‘KA’ class in
eight districts under the division. Already, 28,907 of those were
rehabilitated in the first, second, third and first stage of the fourth phase
and the beneficiary figure will stand at 30,729 tomorrow.

For tomorrow, houses were allocated to 1,822 families in the division. Of
them, 202 in Naogaon, 567 in Natore, 646 in Pabna, 255 in Sirajganj, 82 in
Bogura and 70 in Joypurhat districts.

Imtiaz Hossain said 41 upazilas were declared as freed from landless and
homeless people in the earlier four phases. With tomorrow’s distribution, 64
out of total 67 upazilas will be freed from homeless and landless people in
the division.

Main thrust of the initiative is to improve the standard of living, ensure
basic education, health care and skill development on income generating
activities of the beneficiary people.

The floors and walls of the houses are brick-built as the roofs were made of
corrugated sheet. The houses were made colorfully and eye-catching. The
disaster resistant houses reveal the images of laudable and lasting
development activities of the government.

At the initiative of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the government has
provided the homeless people with the houses to alleviate their poverty
through giving shelters and human resource development activities.

On behalf of Ashrayan Project-2 of the Prime Minister’s Office, the
Department of Disaster Management (DDM) has built the houses.

Each of the semi-pucca houses with two bedrooms, one kitchen, one toilet,
common space and veranda are built at a cost of Taka 2.59 lakh.

Divisional Commissioner Dr. Dewan Muhammad Humayun Kabir said the
construction of the houses is a laudable step of the government.

All the government’s line departments, including agriculture, fisheries,
livestock, youth development, cooperatives, women affairs and social
development have started expanding their activities to the Ashrayan villages
to improve the living and livelihood conditions of the settlers.

Adury Begum, one of the beneficiaries of Jhalpukur Ashrayan Project in
Mohanpur upazila, said she used to live in a thatched house before getting
the new one. She had to suffer a lot due to the lack of a house.

But, the worst situation has changed now. She along with her husband and two
daughters are having happy days in the house.

“I never thought that I would be an owner of a brick-built house,” she said
with a smiling face, adding that the house gave her three-member family a new
life expressing deep gratitude to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for her
benevolent initiative.

Kolpona Kisku, a widow of Dewpur village under Paba upazila, is living in the
new house at Kasiadanga Ashrayan Project with her two sons Bishwajit and
Durjoy. Bishwajit is now a third year student in Rajshahi University (RU).

“We are very happy to receive such a gift from the Prime Minister Sheikh
Hasina. We are grateful to her,” Kolpona said while expressing her gratitude
to the government. (BSS)