Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has reiterated that no one can stop the development of Bangladesh and that no citizen of the country will remain homeless or landless.
Bangladesh would continue to march forward overcoming all obstacles in its path, she said on Tuesday while handing over semi-pucca houses to 32,904 families of 492 upazilas in the third phase of the Ashrayan-2 Project, just ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr.
The premier also vowed to turn Bangladesh into “Sonar Bangla”, as envisaged by Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
Sheikh Hasina and other top officials of the Prime Minister’s Office joined the event from Ganabhaban, while the beneficiaries of the project joined from their respective districts.
All of Bangladesh has been brought under electricity coverage and now the government wants to put a roof over the heads of all homeless people, she said.
“No one will remain homeless or landless in Bangabandhu’s Bangladesh.
“Today, Bangladesh is a role model of development. I am grateful to the people of Bangladesh for electing me. The wheel of development is turning because I have been governing the country for such a long stretch,” Sheikh Hasina said.
Recalling the cyclone of 1991, she said: “When the cyclone made landfall in 1991, the erstwhile prime minister (Khaleda Zia) was unaware of it. She was asleep. But when I was in charge in 1997 (when another cyclone hit Bangladesh), I did not sleep. I cancelled my Spain trip along with my cabinet members and party leaders, I rushed to the affected areas, and built a shelter on St Martin’s Island for 70 families. In fact, that was the start of this housing project.
“When we returned to power in 2009, we started building semi-pucca houses for the homeless.”
On the recent outcry over the Covid-19 vaccine procurement price, the prime minister said it will not be correct to solely look at the vaccine price. The costs of vaccine carriers, workers, storing facilities, etc also have to be taken into account, and only then can the exact cost be determined, she added.
Beneficiaries shower praise on premier
Following the opening remarks, Prime Minister’s Office Senior Secretary Tofazzel Hossain Miah virtually connected four districts with Ganabhaban, giving local representatives and project beneficiaries a chance to talk to Sheikh Hasina.
One of the beneficiaries, Usha Rani, who received a house in Faridpur, invited the premier to a meal at her new home.
Breaking into tears of joy, Shimu Hijra of Barguna said the prime minister has given people of the third gender recognition as well as accommodation, before inviting her to visit the district on behalf of the 22 people of the community who got new homes.
Rahima Khatun, who got a house in the first phase of the project in Anwara upazila of Chittagong, likened her home to a five-star hotel as it is located between the sea and the hills.
Another beneficiary, Rahima, wanted to give Sheikh Hasina two blankets sewn by her to express her gratitude.
At the end of the program, the beneficiaries exchanged advance Eid greetings with the prime minister.
