With the slogan ‘Right to Asylum, Sheikh Hasina’s Gift’, thousands of homeless people are getting houses across the country on the occasion of the celebration of the birth centenary of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
In that continuity, 800 landless families of Baliadangi Upazila of Thakurgaon are about to receive their dream houses. Construction work of these houses is going on in full swing on 30 Khas lands in the district. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate these houses in this month.
In 8 unions of Baliadangi upazila of the district, 800 dream houses are being constructed in the second phase for helpless and poor landless families. These houses are being constructed at Lohagara, Jaunia, Raymahal of Paria union, Haramdangi, Mahatpara and Sabajpur of Charol Union, Shilpati Pool, Boalimandal, Kanchanapara, Dogachhi, and Kaimari of Dhantala Union, Gariyali, Senua, Kushaldangi, Mymensingh Para, Hathat Para, Pitaichari, Sarbamangla of Bara Palashbari Union, Teli port, Nirashi Pukur of Duosuo Union, Haldibari Bishrampur of Vanor Union, Hindupara, Ambagan, Thagbasti, Thukrabari, Panjar Basti amd Camp Hat area of Amjankhor Union in the Upazila.
Construction work of 800 houses started two months ago under the Prime Minister's Asrayan Project-2 on government land at about 30 places including Aadhar Dighi and Jaunia village in Barbari Union in the upazila. The construction cost of each house has been estimated at Tk 1.9 lakh. The construction work of these houses on Khas land is nearing completion and will be officially handed over to the beneficiaries in this June.
Each of these houses has two bedrooms, a balcony, kitchen and bathroom with various facilities including electricity connection. In addition, each beneficiary family will be allotted 2 decimal of land. Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Thakurgaon Dr KM Kamruzzaman Selim and Baliadangi Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Zobayer Hossain is regularly inspecting the quality of work of these houses under construction under the supervision of the upazila administration.
Visiting various project sites in Baliadangi upazila of the district, it was seen that these houses are painted in red and green colors after the colour of our National Flag. At the same time, the environment of those areas has also changed entirely.
Beneficiary Alal Hossain said, “I make a living by begging. I had nowhere to go. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is giving me a house as a gift that I could never have imagined building. I thank the Prime Minister for such a gift.”
A widow named Karimon Bewa said, “I don't have a husband. I used to work in someone else's house and stay here and there due to lack of a residence. I couldn't imagine sleeping in my own room at night. Now those days of my worries is coming to an end.”
Shaheda Begum of Haldibari village said, “I used to make a living by working in the fields. I used to stay in a broken hut at night. I never dreamed that I would have a house of my own. This time I will be the owner of a beautiful house because of the Prime Minister.”
Rabichandra Basak, a hotel worker from Jaunia village, said, “It was difficult to maintain a family of five people working in a hotel. I never thought of buying land and building a house of my own. However, this time I am getting a dream house as a gift from the Prime Minister.”
Upazila Chairman Ali Aslam Jewel said, “Everyone celebrates his birthday by cutting a cake and the Prime Minister is celebrating the centenary of his father's birth by gifting houses to the homeless.”
Upazila Nirbahi Officer Zobayer Hossain said 166 homeless families have been provided houses in the first phase. The construction work of 800 more houses of the 2nd phase is nearing completion.
The homeless and landless families will receive these houses. Each room has a separate bathroom with two-room semi-puccha tin shed and balcony with electricity. However, a list has already been prepared for allocating houses by selecting the disabled, abandoned husbands, widows and extremely poor families.
Thakurgaon Deputy Commissioner Dr KM Kamruzzaman Selim said that on the occasion of Mujib Year, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has arranged special gifts for the homeless. The quality of work of these red-green houses in Baliadangi has been appreciated by the Planning Commission. In the first phase, 166 houses have been handed over to the homeless in this upazila. These residents are being taken care of regularly and assistance is being provided to them.
