‘50,000 more houses for homeless in April’

Some 50,000 more homeless and landless families are going to get homes in April as Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's gifts in the 'Mujib Year'.

Earlier in January, about 70,000 homeless and landless families received homes along with two-decimal lands from the Prime Minister.

The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) on Wednesday asked the field administrations to complete 50,000 homes in the second phase by April 7.

In order to make the homes more sustainable and durable, the PMO brought changes in the design and increased allocation by Tk 20,000 against each house.

"The construction works on 50,000 houses will have to be completed by April 07," PMO Secretary Md Tofazzel Hossain Miah said at a virtual meeting with all the Upazila Nirbahi Officers, Deputy Commissioners, and Divisional Commissioners.

The houses will be distributed after April 15, he said.

Presiding over the meeting, the PMO Secretary said there is also a plan to give another 50,000 homes to homeless and landless families in June next in the third phase.

The Prime Minister has already released Tk 10 billion for the construction of the 50,000 houses, he added.

Tofazzel asked the field officials to keep the construction works under constant vigilance to ensure the best quality and prevent any sort of irregularity, reports UNB.

PMO senior officials will visit the construction sites across the country to check the quality of construction works, he pointed.

Md Mahbub Hossain, project director of Ashrayan-2 Project of the PMO under which the houses are being built, said now the allocation against each house has been raised to Tk 195,000 in the second phase, which was Tk 175,000 in the first phase.

Of the amount, he said, the allocation for the construction of each house was increased to Tk 190,000 from Tk 171,000.

Besides, Tk 5,000 instead of Tk 4,000 will be given against each house as the transport cost in the plain land, he said. The transportation cost for char, haor, and hilly areas has been set at Tk 7,000, Hossain added.

Both the PMO Secretary and the Project Director asked the DCs and UNOs to expedite the construction of the houses coordinating with all the local elected representatives.

Land Secretary Md Mustafizur Rahman and Disaster Management and Relief Secretary Md Mohsin also spoke at the meeting.

At the meeting, the PMO Secretary asked the officials concerned to bring all the small ethnic communities and the underprivileged groups like transgender, Bede and horijon under the housing scheme.

The Prime Minister has reaffirmed that no one would remain homeless and landless in Bangladesh.