PM to gift 53,340 more houses to homeless

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will give 53,340 more houses to the landless and homeless families as part of her government’s campaign to bring all landless and homeless families under housing scheme.

The premier is scheduled to inaugurate the distribution of these houses virtually on June 20 (Sunday) under the second phase of the Asrayan-2 project, said Prime Minister’s Principal Secretary Dr Ahmad Kaikaus today at a press conference at the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).

“It’s a (housing project) inclusive development model which was never implemented by anyone or any country earlier in the world,” he said, mentioning that this initiative of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has now become a social campaign.

Earlier, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina handed over 69,904 houses to the homeless and landless families on January 23 under the first phase of the project on the occasion of the birth centenary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

PMO Secretary Md Tofazzel Hossain Miah, Project Director Md Mahbub Hossain and PMO Director General (Administration) Mohd. Ahsan Kibria Siddiqui were present.

Under the scheme, joint ownership of two-decimal house land alongside a modern abode will also be given to both husband and wife of each family.

“The tin-shed pucca houses will be given to 53,340 more homeless and landless families,” said Dr Ahmad Kaikaus.

Besides, 100,000 more houses will be given by December next as part of the government’s move to rehabilitate the country’s homeless people, he said.

Dr Kaikaus said each family is getting the assets worth some Taka 2.6 lakh, if the value of two-decimal land is on an average Taka 50,000. The construction cost of every house is nearly Taka 2 lakh, while the cost of utility connectivity (electricity and gas) is some Taka 10,000.

Mentioning that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had undertaken the Ashrayan project in 1997, he said a total of 373,562 houses have so far been given to homeless and landless families under the Ashrayan project run by the PMO.

On Sunday next, the highest 12,436 houses will be given in Rangpur division, while 10,547 in Chattogram, 7,630 in Dhaka, 7,172 in Rajshahi, 37,153 in Barishal, 911 in Khulna, 2512 in Mymensingh and 1979 in Sylhet division.

According to the lists prepared under the Ashrayan project, the number of homeless and landless families (under class-K) is 293,361 in the country, while that of only homeless families (under class-Kha) is 592,261.