‘There was no place to stay. I had to be on the road with my family. I stayed in a slum with little income. I never thought I would be the owner of a mature house. I will get a place with a document in my name. With the prayers of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, today I am at the address of my dreams. It is the best gift of my life at the last age. I wish Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina a long life.’ This is what Md Shahjan Khan (67) was saying while sitting in the house of the Asryan-2 project in his name in Sabokhali village of Chitalmari upazila of Bagerhat on Monday morning.
Abdul Majed Sheikh (56) has a family of 4 with wife Helena Begum and son and daughter. Earned a living by working as a salvage man. The money he used to earn from working was not enough to pay the house rent. So he lived in the slums of Wapda Par with his family. He also received the Prime Minister's gift of room and space. For this he and his family all prayed for the Prime Minister.
Shantana Biswas (50) has a family of 6 with husband Komal Biswas, 2 sons and 2 daughters. Her husband is sick so she earns her living by working as a housekeeper. There was no place to stay before, she said. She had to stayed on the opne road with her family. She also received the Prime Minister's gift of room and space. Now she lives in the house of Asharyan-2 project in her name in Sabokhali village. It is not a house, it is a dream address for them. And for this, she blessed the Prime Minister morning and evening.
Shahjan Khan, Abdul Majed Sheikh and Shantana Biswas, another 219 families of this Upazila are living in their dream address. Very soon another 110 families will reach the dream address given by the Prime Minister.
Chitalmari Upazila Project Implementation Officer (PIO) Apoorba Das said that on the occasion of Mujib centenary, 219 landless-homeless "A" class beneficiaries got houses. All of them are living peacefully in the houses gifted by the Prime Minister. Among the 7 unions of Chitalmari, houses are located in Chitalmari Sadar, Barabaria, Hijla, Shivpur and Kalatala unions. The construction cost of each house in the first phase was estimated at 1 lakh, 71 thousand taka and the construction cost of each house of 50 in the second phase was 1 lakh 90 thousand taka. Each room has a balcony, two bedrooms, kitchen and closet. There is electricity connection. At present, the cost of each house is estimated at 2 lakh 84 thousand taka.
On Monday afternoon, Bagerhat District Commissioner Mohammad Azizur Rahman said, "We have done checking many time of those who have been given houses along with land. Training in various trades has been provided to the people who have got houses to create employment and make them self-reliant. Hopefully they are on the road to self-sufficiency.
Very soon another 110 families will reach the dream address given by the Prime Minister.
