Revisiting Ashrayan: A false promise to Bangladesh’s homeless?

When I arrived at Ambari Bazaar of Sunamganj Sadar upazila on a recent Saturday, rows of small colourful houses came into view along the banks of the Surma River. Some had red tin roofs, others green. From a bird's eye view, it would resemble the national flag. However, beneath its aesthetic outlook lies a grim story. 

These homes have been built for homeless people under the Ashrayan project, also known as guccho gram (cluster village). Bangladesh has the eighth-largest homeless population, with around 5 million people currently displaced. To address this crisis, this project is crucial.

There are a total of 199 houses in Rangarchar Union of Sunamganj Sadar Upazila, in Sunamganj district. I discovered that many of these houses have locks on the doors. One resident mentioned that at least 40 of the houses have no residents. 

"People face various difficulties living here. That's why they live elsewhere. However, the houses are allocated in their names," said a woman, requesting to remain anonymous. There have been newspaper reports that many people have even sold or rented out these houses across the country.

Why aren't people staying in the houses provided to them? "You can't just build houses on any government land and settle homeless people there. The standard of living must be ensured, and you have to consider if their basic rights will be met at that location," said eminent architect Iqbal Habib.

We saw small-scale agriculture around most of the houses. For instance, a lot of trees stood in front of one house, almost entirely covering the house itself. We also spotted a refrigerator inside. It turned out that someone named Zubair Ahmed lives there. 

"I live in the city. I have kept this house because it's an open space, and I like it. Plus, I've planted trees. I come and take mangoes, guavas and other fruits to my home," he said.

Zubair is the manager of the Shyamoli Bus Counter in Sunamganj city. He is not supposed to be at an Arshayan project. When asked if he should be staying here, he laughed and replied, "Maybe you'll find 15 to 20 families here who are genuinely poor and homeless. The rest are people close to the upazila chairman, Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) or union members"

According to the project, each family is supposed to get ownership of 2.5 decimals of land along with the house. Residents complained that, in reality, they have been granted shelter only at the mercy of the local influential union members. They threaten them with eviction if they cause any trouble, and many have already been kicked out.

When asked about this matter, the chairman of Rongarchar Union Parishad, Mohammad Abdul Hai, said, "The beneficiaries were selected by the UNO. I don't know anything about it." The Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) of Sunamganj Sadar Upazila, Atish Darshi Chakma, said, "I have recently joined. The previous UNO worked on this project. I have no comment on it."

A total of 5,55,617 landless-homeless families were rehabilitated under this project from 1997 to July 2023. 47,210 families were resettled in the first phase from 1997 to 2002. Another 58,703 families were resettled under the second phase from 2002 to 2010. 

Through the Ashrayan-2 Project from 2010 to June 2022,  54,660 families were resettled.

"This project should have been handled by the National Housing Authority or the Local Government Engineering Department. They could have evaluated and constructed these projects from a technical perspective. Instead, the responsibility was given to local TNOs [Thana Nirbahi Officers]," Iqbal Habib remarked.

Built to collapse?

When I reached the houses, the first question that came to mind was the vulnerability of the location.

"Construction is legally prohibited within 50 yards of a river. However, these houses have been constructed along riverbanks in various char areas of the country," Iqbal Habib told TBS.

In fact, 79 houses on the Pachgachi Char in Bogura's Sariakandi Upazila were built along the bank of the Jamuna River under the Arshayan project during 2020-2021. In October 2024, most of these houses were washed away by the Jamuna waters.

In a disaster-prone country, a key consideration should be whether this housing model is sustainable. No special measures were taken to protect these houses from floods. Reportedly, people in the Ashrayan project become stranded during floods often. 

All houses are built on the same design. Each house includes two bedrooms, a kitchen, a toilet and a veranda. The area is approximately 264 square feet.

Architect Iqbal Habib believes that following the same design across the country is not a sustainable approach. "The soil and environment vary across different regions of Bangladesh. There are five types of soil. Considering this diversity, the house design, structure and construction methods should be adapted to suit each area," he explained.

Almost all of the projects experienced budget shortfalls. The budget for each house was limited to Tk1.9 lakh. This limited budget also raises questions about the construction method and sustainability of the houses. Houses were built on bricks instead of a concrete foundation.

"I have visited the project in the Barisal area. The design of these houses and the components can't be realistically done for less than Tk3.4 lakh," said Iqbal Habib. 

Just a showcase 

Sheikh Hasina heavily relied on showcasing visible development projects during her regime. The Ashrayan project was launched under the slogan "Ashrayaner odhikar Sheikh Hasinar upohar" (right to housing, gift from Sheikh Hasina).

Ironically, while the project fell short of reaching the homeless of the country, the Awami League government promoted it as one of its many showcases of 'development.' It also announced an expansion of the project, Ashrayan-3 in late 2017. That too for Rohingya refugees, in Bhasan Char at Hatiya upazila of Noakhali District.

Despite criticism from diplomats and international organisations, the Bhasan Char Ashrayan project was implemented with government funds under the supervision of the Bangladesh Navy. 

On this island, infrastructure has been developed to accommodate 100,000 Rohingya in 1,500 houses across 120 cluster villages.

"The entire project is a complete waste of public money as if it was done just to show that something was done,"  architect Habib concluded.