By Syed Altefat Hossain
DHAKA, March 4, 2021 (BSS) – The family of Sahela Hemran, a member of Santhal community, has spent 15 years in a makeshift shanty on a piece of government land in Morabostapukor area of Gobindaganj upazila in northern Gaibandha district.
“I’ve been living at this shabby hut with my husband Sunil Saren, two sons and a daughter here for 15 years since we had no land,” the 30-year-old Hemran told BSS while showing her clay-made shanty, which was damaged by rain and storms for several times, to this correspondent in a recent visit there.
Like her, about 50 families of the Santhal community, one of the country’s oldest ethnic groups, were living there on same condition for many years as they have no own land, she said, recalling that it is not only her birth place, but also her parent.
Since most of the members of the Santhal community are day- labourers, Hemran said it was quite impossible for “our families” to procure any land after meeting the basic needs.
“My husband is also a day-labourer and manages family working on others’ land. So, it was very difficult for us to procure land after meeting the basic needs for the large family,” she said, remembering with emotion the financial miseries of her family.
Hemran, however, now one of those fortunates to get a permanent abode with a semi-pucca house and ownership of two decimal of land in the Morabostapukor area of Kandia union of Gobindaganj upazila in Gaibandha.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina virtually gifted a house along with ownership documents of two decimal of land to Hemran on January 23 along with providing houses to 69,904 homeless and landless families across the country to mark the ‘Mujib Year’.
Like Hemran each of the 50 families of the Santhal community living in the Morabostapukor area were given a two-room accommodation having a kitchen, a toilet and a veranda on a two decimal of land, entirely under their legal possession.
“Living at any semi-pucca house with all facilities was just like a ‘day dream’ for us. But our affectionate Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina made it reality by gifting us the semi-pucca house with ownership of the land,” Hemran said wiping her tears of joy.
Sexagenarian Sardar Saren, who passed 65 years of his life in a makeshift shanty at the same place since his birth having no piece of own land, is among the 50 families who also found a permanent abode in the Morabostapukor area along with ownership of land.
“As a day-labourer with six family members, I didn’t have the ability to procure any land. None but our affectionate Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina realized our ordeal and provided a permanent shelter to us. It’s not mere a house for us, but an address as well,” Saren said.
The each concrete-made house with tin-roof was built under the premier’s special Asrayan Prokalpa-2 aiming at improving living standard of ethnic minority groups living on plain land across the country.
This is one of the special initiatives of Bangabandhu’s able daughter Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to provide particularly abodes for vulnerable ethnic minority people alongside a routine one for all landless and homeless families across the country.
Gobindaganj Upazila Nirbahi Office (UNO) Ram Krishna Barman said a total of 70 families, including 50 families of the Santhal community of different ethnic groups, have been rehabilitated under the Prime Minister’s housing project in his (UNO) upazila.
“We’re now working to ensure other amenities like education and health services for the rehabilitated families along with bringing the remaining vulnerable families of the ethnic groups,” he added.
Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) Secretary Md Tofazzel Hossain Miah said marking the birth centenary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is giving a total 3,500 houses as ‘Mujib Year’ gift to landless and homeless people of ethnic minority groups who live on plain lands across the country.
Along with houses, the school-going children of the ethnic groups are also given bicycles and stipends so that they can get access to education easily, he said.
Apart from the ethnic minorities living on the plain lands, the PMO secretary, said the ethnic minority groups living in the three Hill Tracts districts — Rangamati, Bandarban and Khagrachari — were also given identical homes with same facilities.
“A total of 4,500 houses have already been handed over to the ethnic minorities living in hill tracts,” Miah said.
BSS/