Bangladesh to build houses for 100,000 more homeless families in 2021

The government is providing 100,000 more homeless families with concrete houses as Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s gift in Mujib Year.

Golam Mujtaba Dhrubabdnews24.com
Published : 11 Feb 2021, 09:37 PM
Updated : 11 Feb 2021, 09:37 PM

The decision was finalised in a meeting to coordinate the work at the Prime Minister's Office in Dhaka on Thursday.

About 70,000 landless and homeless families across the country got their houses along with 2 decimal pieces of land under the Ashrayan-2 project on Jan 23.

The government on Thursday ordered the divisional commissioners, deputy commissioners and other field-level officials to complete the work to construct 50,000 more houses in the second phase by Apr 7.

“We’ve gathered to discuss the prime minister’s order to release Tk 10 billion funds for the 50,000 houses,” said PMO Secretary Tofazzel Hossain Miah.

Land Secretary Md Mustafizur Rahman, Disaster Management and Relief Secretary Md Mohsin, Ashrayan-2 Project Director Md Mahbub Hossain and top officials from the Prime Minister's Office attended the meeting.

Mahbub said they are raising the construction cost to Tk 195,000 per house from Tk 175,000 as the design is changing slightly on instructions from Hasina.

The field-level officials were asked to make and send lists of the new beneficiaries within a week.

Members of the small ethnic groups and third gender communities will be prioritised.

Tofazzel said they hope to inaugurate the houses under the second phase by Apr 15.

“This is the best opportunity I have to serve the people in my career,” the PMO secretary said.

After handing houses in the first phase, Hasina said gifting of homes to the homeless and landless people of Bangladesh marks the biggest festival in Mujib Year, the birth centenary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

Under the Ashrayan project, over 320,000 homeless and landless families were given houses from 1997 to 2020.

Following Hasina’s announcement that no one will be without home in Mujib Year, the government made lists of over 885,000 homeless families and took the initiatives to change their lives.