In a major push to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s Ashrayan project over 22,000 families across the country on Wednesday will get houses and lands they can finally call their own.
Mohammad Kashem Shaikh, a 65-year-old day labourer, is one of them. He is overjoyed.
“I used to live in others’ houses. I had never thought of having my own house on my own land. Today my dream has come true,” he said standing in front of his semi-pucca house he got free from the government at Sujanagar in Pabna district.
He said his family will no longer worry about sleepless nights they had passed in broken houses that belonged to others.
“I will not have any discomfort sleeping from tomorrow (Wednesday),” he said.
Thanks to the successful implementation of the Ashrayan-2 project up to 22,105 families will be given the ownership documents of the houses and lands virtually by Prime Minister Hasina.
They are from 12 districts and 123 upazilas which will be declared free of homeless and landless people.
The prime minister will make the announcement and open the distribution of the semi-pucca houses to the beneficiaries through a videoconference from her official residence Ganabhaban.
With these, a total of 21 districts and 334 upazilas of the country will be without any homeless and landless families.
The prime minister will hand over the keys of 22,101 houses along with the ownership documents of a two-decimal of lands to the families. Some 115,000 people will be rehabilitated in the houses on this day.
She has so far given houses to a total of 8,29,607 families under Ashrayan projects and other programmes. Some 4,148,035 people have been rehabilitated in those houses.
Of them, 2,778,085 people (of 555,617 families) have rehabilitated only under the Ashrayan project, run by the Prime Minister's Office (since 1997 to July 2023).
Some 4,148,035 people were given houses, which is a rare instance in the world as there is no other such program that the landless people are being given free houses and lands.
Free electricity connections are given, the water supply is arranged, and other facilities are ensured for them.
Earlier, Hasina handed over the houses to the landless and homeless families on five occasions since the Mujib Year.
The prime minister will be connected with the beneficiaries and local people of three places while distributing the houses on the sixth occasion on Wednesday.
The three places are Barasat Sonar Bangla Palli Ashrayan Project site in Terokhada upazila under Khulna, Chakla Ashrayan-2 project site in Bera upazila under Pabna, and Amanullahpur Ashrayan project site in Begumganj upazila under Noakhali district.
The 12 districts that will earn the distinction of becoming free of landless and homeless families are Manikganj, Rajbari, Mymensingh, Sherpur, Dinajpur, Naogaon, Natore, Pabna, Kushtia, Pirojpur and Jhalakathi.
The 123 upazilas include Gosairhat in Shariatpur district; Kuliarchar, Nikli, Hossainpur, Bajitpur, Mithamoin and Karimganj in Kishoreganj; Ghatail, Nagarpur, Mirzapur, Kalihati and Basail in Tangail; Shibaloy, Harirampur and Sadar in Manikganj; Sreenagar and Tongibari in Munshiganj; Goalanda in Rajbari; Sonargaon, Rupganj, Araihazar and Sadar in Narayanganj; Boalmari, Charbhadrasan, Bhanga and Sadar in Faridpur; Iswarganj, Haluaghat, Dhobaura, Gafargaon, Muktagacha and Sadar in Mymensingh; Sreebardi and Sadar in Sherpur; Islampur and Sarishabari in Jamalpur; Pekua, Ukhia and Teknaf in Cox’s Bazar; Hathazari and Anwara in Chattogram; Matlab Dakkhin and Kachua in Chandpur; Begumganj, Sonaimuri, Chatkhil, Senbug and Sadar in Noakhali; Nangalkot, Barura, Homna, Titas, Meghna, Meghna and Burichang in Cumilla; Daganbhuiyan in Feni, Palashbari in Gaibandha; Badarganj in Rangpur; Bochaganj, Birganj, Chirirbandar, Parbatipur, Fulbari, Birampur, Hakimpur, Ghoraghat and Sadar in Dinajpur.
The other upazilas are Pirganj, Ranisankail and Sadar in Thakurgaon; Domar and Jaldhaka in Nilphamari; Atrai, Badalgachi, Manda, Niamatpur, Porsha, Sapahar and Sadar in Naogaon; Tarash, Shahjadpur and Kamarkhanda in Sirajganj; Gabtoli, Adamdighi and Sadar in Bogura; Singra, Naldanga and Sadar in Natore; Chatmohar, Bera, Faridpur, Bhangura and Sujanagar in Pabna; Jhenaidah Sadar; Kaliganj and Sadar in Satkhira; Jessore Sadar in Jessore; Khoksha in Kushtia; Dighalia in Khulna; Kalia in Narail; Pirojpur Sadar in Pirojpur; Jhalakathi Sadar; Kalapara and Galachipa in Patuakhali; Patharghata, Betagi, Taltali in Barguna; Beanibazar, Companiganj,Golapganj, Gowainghat and Zakiganj in Sylhet; Sreemangal, Moulvibazar Sadar, Kulaura, Barlekha and Juri in Moulvibazar; Shayestaganj, Bahubal, Lakhai, Habiganj Sadar and Madhabpur in Habiganj; and Shalla and Dharmapasha in Sunamganj.
Earlier, the premier declared nine districts – Panchagarh, Magura, Madaripur, Gazipur, Narsingdi, Joypurhat, Rajshahi, Chapainawabganj and Chuadanga – as landless and homeless people-free districts on two occasions.