Dreams of having a home will come true for thousands of children in Panchagarh and Magura districts with the handover of over 26,000 more houses under the Ashrayan-2 project today.
With the handover of the houses, the government is set to declare the two districts free from homelessness.
Recipients of the homes told the Dhaka Tribune correspondent on Wednesday they were elated to finally have a place that they could call their own.
Jannatul Khatun, a third grader at Kajaldighi primary school in Panchagarh, lived in a small tin-shed house near the large Kajaldighi pond of Boda Upazila of Panchagarh with her younger brother as their father is a landless day labourer.
The young girl said she collects pictures from newspapers and magazines as a hobby. When she heard that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was giving pucca houses to homeless people, Jannatul preserved an election poster cutting of the prime minister.
“I took very good care of the picture. Every morning, I would look at it and pray that our family would also get a semi-pucca house,” the third grader said.
The district authorities learned of Jannatul and her family when inspecting government khas land to make houses for homeless and landless people.
The family are now living in a semi-pucca house and raising two cows in their yard. Jannatul has been going to school regularly.
“DC sir gave me a new picture of the prime minister. Every morning, I look at the picture after getting up and pray to the Almighty for the welfare of Sheikh Hasina, as my dreams of living in a pucca house have come true. Now I want to become a doctor to serve the people,” Jannatul told this correspondent.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will hand over more than 26,229 houses to homeless people in five districts of the country in the second batch of phase three of the Ashrayan-2 project, according to Dr Ahmad Kaikaus, principal secretary at the Prime Minister’s Office.
A total of 52 upazilas of different districts, including all the eight upazilas of Panchagarh and Magura, will also be declared as having no landless and homeless families. The government had made a commitment on the occasion of Mujib Year to ensure shelter for all homeless people in the country, according to the PMO.
The 52 upazilas are Nawabganj in Dhaka; Madaripur Sadar; Damudya in Shariatpur; Katiadi in Kishoreganj; Gopalpur in Tangail; Ghior and Saturia in Manikganj; Kalukhali in Rajbari; Nagarkanda in Faridpur; Madan in Netrokona; Bhaluka, Nandail, Phulpur and Fulbaria in Mymensingh; Bakshiganj in Jamalpur; Patiya, Karnaphuli, Satkania and Lohagara in Chattogram; Raipur and Ramganj in Laxmipur; Feni Sadar, Chhagalnaiya, Fulgazi and Parshuram in Feni; Gobindaganj in Gaibandha; Atwari, Panchagarh Sadar, Debiganj, Tetulia and Boda in Panchagarh; Nawabganj in Dinajpur; Baliadangi in Thakurgaon; Dimla in Nilphamari; Raninagar in Naogaon; Panchbibi in Joypurhat; Mohonpur, Charghat and Bagha in Rajshahi; Nandigram and Dupchanchia in Bogura; Bagatipara in Natore; Ishwardi in Pabna; Shibganj in Chapainawabganj; Harinakundu in Jhenaidah; Tala in Satkhira; Magura Sadar, Sreepur, Mohammadpur and Shalikha in Magura; Kathalia in Jhalakathi and Dashmina in Patuakhali.
A total of 67,800 houses are being provided among landless and homeless families in the third phase of Ashrayan-2. Among them, 32,904 houses were handed over on April 26, while 26,229 will be handed over today. The construction of 8,667 other houses is still underway.
Earlier, 117,329 semi-pucca houses along with two decimal land were distributed among the homeless people in the country in the first two phases on January 23, 2021 and June 20, 2021 on the occasion of Mujib Year marking the birth centenary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
Each home unit has two rooms, a kitchen, a toilet and a veranda – costing Tk 259,500 without tax and VAT. The cost is Tk 330,000 with tax and VAT.
Alongside the houses, ownership documents of two decimals of land are given to each family.
Happiness in Panchagarh
Md Johurul Islam, deputy commissioner of Panchagarh district, said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is scheduled to make the announcement today after handing over 1,413 homes with land to homeless families in Panchagarh sadar upazila’s Mahanoara Ashrayan project.
A total of 4,850 families were homeless and landless in this northern district of Rangpur division. In the first two phases of the Ashrayan-2 project, 10,571,359 families received homes with land in this district.
In the first batch of the project’s third phase, 1,021 homes were distributed on April 26, and a total of 1,413 homes in the second batch will be handed over on Thursday.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will be present virtually while beneficiaries will attend from the Panchagarh end.
Responding to a question, the district commissioner of Panchagar said: “We made the announcement through microphones in the village market before making the list of homeless people.”
He added: “It is a great achievement for this district. Under this Ashrayan-2 project a total of 15,159 people of this district have received permanent homes.”