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BSS-39
PM-HOSUING-HOMELESS
PM’s housing project: Each home tells dream of a family
BRAHMANBARIA, June 19, 2021 (BSS) – Each house of Ashrayan-2 Project has appeared as the accomplishment of a dream of a family, which not only changed their fate but also made them confident and self-reliant practically.
And these tales of joys of thousands of families became the reality only for the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s inclusive development model: home for landless and homeless families in the country.
With this initiative of the Prime Minister, now the floating people are no more homeless as they got a semi-Pucca house along with the ownership of a two-decimal land as a gift in the Mujib Year.
While narrating their expression to a group of journalists visiting the project areas, an amputee Dulal Miah, 37, said his family now lives in much better condition than expected, getting a spectacular abode at Uttar Jangal village in Brahmanbaria sadar upazila under the Ashrayan-2 project run by the Prime Minister’s Office.
His right wrist underwent amputation when was only 7 after his hand got bruised due to wall collapse in Chattogram.
His family was in Chattogram and had no home in their ancestral village in Brahmanbaria Sadar upazila. But, Dulal Miah got married to Nazma Akter 16 years ago and started living at Mohiuddinnagar in the Upazila. Now they have four sons.
Though he used to earn nominal money for his family pulling rickshaw and van for 12-13 years, he is now unemployed almost regularly. But, his wife Nazma Akter works as a domestic help. The family is run with his wife’s earnings and assistance from relatives and neighbours.
Getting the house, he said their sufferings have eased significantly, though they are still struggling to manage food for his family as their eldest son has yet to start earnings for his family.
Dulal said they have assets worth some Taka 4 lakh having the house and two-decimal land as the value of each decimal land might be some Taka 80,000 at that location, while it took nearly two lakh for construction of his house.
Another person, Abu Salek, 42, said he had no home for the last 26 years after selling their house land to get relieved of the debt burden.
But, they are no more homeless as they got a semi-Pucca house along with the ownership of a two-decimal land as a gift from Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in January last in the Mujib Year.
Abu Salek is a day laborer and the lone earner for his 7-member family as he has two sons, two daughters, wife and mother in his family.
His family was also given a Tin-shed pucca house at Uttar Jangal village in Brahmanbaria sadar upazila under the Ashrayan-2 project run by the Prime Minister’s Office.
Abu Salek said about how a modern house on an owned land changed their identity and lifestyle.
He said they had to borrow a huge amount of money for sending his elder brother Abu Kawsar abroad to change their fate in 1994. His brother also went to UAE two times but failed to cope up with the condition there and returned home.
Later, the family sold out their last asset –the house land– to get freed from the debt burden, and took shelter on the land of their relatives in Birampur village in 1995.
They had to live in a shabby hunt there for the last 26 years as he was unable to have a permanent house on own land with his small income earned from his day labour. He gets Taka 300-Taka 400 a day from his labour, but the work is not available every day in a month.
His monthly income is Taka 6,000 to 8,000, said Salek, adding they couldn’t dream of having a house with his nominal income let alone a semi-pucca house with sanitation and electricity facilities on their own land.
“Now we’ve a permanent address. We have an identity. No one can tell me that we are homeless. Our life has totally changed. We don’t worry about home,” Salek said.
Like the two families, six other families got the houses in the same location in January 23 last when Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina gifted nearly 70,000 houses and lands under the Ashrayan-2 project in the first phase in the Mujib Year marking the birth centenary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
Now 12 more families are going to get houses in the same place as the Prime Minister is set to inaugurate the distribution of 53,340 houses among the homeless and landless families tomorrow (Sunday) in the second phase in the Mujib Year.
All of them who received houses expressed their gratitude to the Prime Minister and prayed to the Almighty Allah for her good health.
Ashrayan-2 Project Director Md Mahbub Hossain said the houses are being given in line with the Prime Minister’s announcement that none will remain homeless and landless in the country.
Noting that so many homeless families are rehabilitated by providing houses and lands, he said it is a rare example in the world. “It’s the Sheikh Hasina’s model for inclusive development,” said the project director, adding that both husband and wife are given the joint ownership of house land to ensure gender equity here.
Mahbub Hossain said one lakh more families will be given houses by December next in the Mujib Year under the same project.
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