Clicky
National, Back Page

World Habitat Day today

Govt works to implement ‘house for all’ by 2021


Published : 06 Oct 2019 07:34 PM | Updated : 04 Sep 2020 06:55 PM

Country’s lakhs of people still live without houses in slums, embankment, roadside, railway platforms, under flyovers and in open spaces. River erosion and natural disasters continued to destroy households of thousands of people every year rendering them homeless. Only river erosion renders over 50,000 people homeless every year, according to different media and research reports.

However, the number of homeless people in the country will decline gradually as the government has undertaken massive programmes through different ministries/departments/authorities to bring all people under housing facility. As per the government’s major commitment, every person would get housing facility. The government has taken massive initiatives to build houses for the cleaners, slum-dwellers and other homeless people.

National Housing Authority Chairman Md Rashidul Islam said, “The Constitution of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh guarantees the citizens for shelter, which is a basic need. The incumbent government emphasizes the national goals of Vision 2021, which includes ‘House for all by 2021’. National housing authority is trying its best to achieve this goal within the stipulated time.”

He also said, “The country is facing a shortage of affordable housing both in the urban and the rural areas. Access to shelter or housing is difficult for the low and middle income groups of people and it is extremely acute for the poor.” “Unplanned housing in the urban and rural areas requires more land and extends settlement in valuable productive agricultural land. It is the demand of the time to be selective to undertake plan for growing up an effective housing structure with the minimum land use”, he further said.

World Habitat Day today World Habitat Day is observed in the country today (Monday) like other countries in the globe through holding various programmes to make the planet livable for all. Every year, the day is observed on the first Monday of October. In 1985, the United Nations at its General Assembly had decided to observe the day. The day has been observed since 1986. This year’s theme of the day has been fixed as “Frontier Technologies as an innovative tool to transform Waste to Wealth”.

Ministry of Housing and Public Works has taken various programmes to mark the day. The programmes include colorful rallies, seminar, publication of supplementary and souvenir. The main rally would be brought out from the Dhaka Club of Shahbagh at 7:30am and it will end at Public Works Bhaban premises and after parading different thoroughfares. Housing and Public Works Minister SM Rezaul Karim will inaugurate the rally.

Besides, House Building Research Institute will organise a three-day housing festival from October 7 at Bangabandhu International Conference centre. President Abdul Hamid will inaugurate the programme.