Ashrayan ending homeless lives of thousands

Monira Begum and Abul Kashem have been moving from one end to the other in the coastal district of Lakshmipur in search of a place to live since the couple lost their home and arable lands at Boyar Char to coastal erosion.

The couple's 10 long years of homeless life ended after they received the keys to a house in Char Kalakopa village of Ramgati upazila, constructed for the landless and homeless people under the Ashrayan-2 project of the Prime Minister's Office.

Receiving the key and deed of the house after the formal inauguration by the prime minister, Monira Begum told The Business Standard, "I have never felt so much joy in my life in the last decade."

Her husband Abul Hashem thanked the prime minister for providing him and his wife with shelter.

Homeless and landless people like Monira and Hashem were overwhelmed with joy and happiness as they finally got a permanent address to live.

They expressed their gratitude to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for making their long-cherished dreams of homes owned by them come true.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina virtually distributed the deeds and keys of the newly constructed semi-pucca two-room tin-shed houses on two decimals of land to the beneficiaries under the third phase of the Ashrayan-2 Project, joining the occasion via video conference from her official Ganabhaban residence in Dhaka.

Prime Minister's Principal Secretary Dr Ahmad Kaikaus moderated the function while PM's Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim and Project Director of Ashrayan-2 Project Abu Saleh Mohammad Ferdous Khan were present at Ganabhaban.

At Char Kalakopa Ashrayan Project, 142 families received permanent addresses on Thursday.

The prime minister yesterday handed over 26,229 houses to landless and homeless families. Altogether 67,800 more single houses are being handed over across the country under the third phase of the Ashrayan Project. Another 8,667 houses are being constructed.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina also declared 52 upazilas, including all upazilas of Panchagarh and Magura districts, as homeless-free and landless-free upazilas.

The prime minister exchanged views with some beneficiaries and other stakeholders connected to five places of the five districts.

Joining from the Char Kalakopa end, Deputy Commissioner of Lakshmipur District Md Anwar Hossain Akand said two upazilas, Ramganj and Raipur, have been declared homeless- and landless-free. He expressed the hope that the district will be announced as homeless-free and landless-free in the next two months.

He also said at the first and second phases of the Ashrayan Project-2, the authorities handed over 1,786 houses to landless and homeless families in the district.

He said the government has set a target of distributing another 1,442 houses under the third phase of the project.

Of the houses, the government has already handed over 280 while another 436 were handed over today, he added. 

Work is underway to build the rest of the 726 houses, he added.

Nasima Akter, a beneficiary of the Charkalakopa Ashrayan Project, said after being abandoned by her husband around 12 years ago, she had to maintain her livelihood through begging.

"I was helpless with my two daughters. So, I took to begging as my profession. There was no one to give me shelter. You (prime minister) have given me shelter. Now, I will ensure education for my children by operating a sewing machine. You have a great heart," she told the prime minister, overwhelmed with joy.

A video documentary was also played on how the landless and homeless people have developed their standard of living after getting benefits that included training and money alongside the houses under the Ashrayan-2 Project.

According to the project details, a total of 1,17,329 single houses were constructed under the first and second phases of the project while 1,85,129 houses were allotted till 2021-2022.

On January 23, 2021, 63,999 homeless and landless families received houses under the first phase and 53,330 families got a roof over their heads under the second phase of the Ashrayan-2 Project on June 20 last year.

Kajal Rekha, a mother of two daughters, also got a home at the project area. She told The Business Standard, "Nearly five years ago, I lost my husband. Moreover, I had become homeless nearly three years ago as the Meghna, a major river of the country, devoured my husband's home at Wapda Bazar area under Char Alexander. After losing the house, I used to stay at my father's house with my daughters. This created difficulties for my father as he is also leading a poor life."

At the third phase of Ashrayan-2, the government has raised the cost and brought about changes in the designs of the houses to make them more sustainable and climate-resilient.

Now the landless and homeless people will get better quality tin-shed semi-pucca houses on two decimals of land.

The cost against each house has been increased to Taka 2,59,500 from Taka 1,91,000 to make the houses more sustainable.

The government is constructing the houses with stronger great beams, rafters and Reinforced Concrete Column (RCC) pillars.

Under the Ashrayan project, a total of 5,09,370 families have been rehabilitated between 1997 and fiscal year 2020-21.