A total of 142 homeless families are becoming owners of houses as Dhaka division's largest Ashrayan project, constructed on 8.9 acres land in Nayapara village of Sreepur upazila in Gazipur, which will be inaugurated on Wednesday.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will join the virtual inauguration of the project on Wednesday and declare Gazipur district homeless and landless people free, Gazipur Deputy Commissioner (DC) Anisur Rahman confirmed.
Afojan Bibi, 60, who will get a house in the Nayapara shelter project, said that she was born in this area.
Dhaka Tribune“I have been going door to door with members and chairman for a room for six years. I am going through life with a lot of difficulty due to the lack of a house. Hasina has stood by the side of helpless people like us; she has given us an address. We are getting our own land, a concrete house has been made. Now I will spend the rest of my life well,” she said.
Elderly Hamida Begum, 60, used to take shelter at night at Kauraid railway station in Sreepur.
“She said he had to sleep in a station with mosquitoes, flies and bad adour. Hasina Afa (prime minister) arranged a house for me. I am very happy. I pray that Allah will keep Sheikh Hasina happy.”
Amir Ali, 50, said that he used to work in other people's houses and lived in a house in the forest with his wife and two sons.
Dhaka Tribune”Sometimes I had to leave my house in fear of forest department arrests. The house would get wet in storms. We had to suffer in winter. Now you don't have to worry about getting the Prime Minister's gift house. I can spend my days happily with my wife and children.”
Another beneficiary Jamila Khatun said she is very happy after getting a house at the project.
“I can stay in my own house. Before, I had to stay at other people's houses. May Allah give a long life to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. May he always be by the side of the helpless!”
Sreepur Upazila Project Implementation Officer (PIO) KM Mohitul Islam said that 142 homeless families including widows, disabled, beggars, day laborers, elderly have been provided houses in the project.
The government has spent Tk2,64,000 to build each house of the project, he said.
Sripur Upazila Executive Officer (UNO) Tariqul Islam said that each house has two bedrooms, a balcony, a kitchen and a toilet. Electricity connection with individual metre has been provided in those rooms. The upazila administration has implemented the project very transparently.
Dhaka TribuneGazipur DC Anisur said that apart from 142 gift houses, there are schools, mosques, playgrounds, drinking water and electricity in this project.
Among them one pond, one mosque, one school-cum-study centre, one community centre-cum-skill development centre, one graveyard, wide roads, and solar street lights have been constructed inside the project.
Also, to protect the environment and biodiversity, there is an enriched garden with various species of herbs, fruits, and forest trees.
The Department of Agriculture has taken up the activities of family nutrition gardens.
“We can say that a complete city is being built within the village through this shelter project,” said the DC.
On the occasion of the birth centenary of the Father of the Nation in three phases, 1,817 landless and homeless families have been given constructed houses along with land in Gazipur under "A" category with this project.
Dhaka TribuneA total of 1.817 houses have been constructed in five upazilas of the district.
Among them, 630 houses in Sadar Upazila, 280 in Sreepur, 318 in Kapasia, 440 in Kaliakoir and 149 in Kaliganj.
Under the initiative of the government, various types of employment training are being taken from different departments of the upazila administration for the people of Ashrayan project.
As a result of the regular supervision of the district and upazila administration, the poor and homeless residents of the project are moving forward.
