The filling up of Kashipur Asrayan 2 project area in the char of the Nabaganga River has stopped halfway towards the project’s completion.
More than a hundred destitute families in Lohagara upazila, who were optimistic about getting housing facilities after the project’s completion, are now living with uncertainty.
In 2013, Land Assistant Officer of Kashipur union land office, Md Mostafizur Rahman, submitted a report to the upazila assistant commissioner (land), which said the 6.83-acre land in the char could be used for implementing any development project. The site was later selected for the Kashipur Asrayan 2 project.
The government allocated 169.334 tonnes of wheat and ordered to fill up the project area with the money that will be obtained by selling the wheat.
But Stagnation hit the project after 85 tonnes of the total wheat allocation was used.
On October 23, Lohagara Upazila Nirbahi Officer Tahmina Khatun asked Kashipur union parishad Chairman Md Matiar Rahman in a letter to suspend the project, saying that she had been instructed by the project director to stop the project.
But the suspension led to protests where some 3,000 local people called for resumption of the project.
They also submitted a memorandum to the prime minister, drawing her attention to the problem.
On April 3 this year, Director of the Planning Ministry (works), ANM Rokon Uddin, visited the site and said he would submit a report to the higher authorities.
He also said the authorities would act on the report. Tushar Kanti Pal, assistant commissioner (land) of Lohagara, said the project’s fate would be decided by the authorities and steps would be taken according to their instruction. The Kashipur union parishad chairman said the already used wheat allocation would be wasted if the project was not fully completed.