Houses built for homeless get stolen in Gaibandha

GAIBANDHA, Feb 12: Some 76 vacant houses out of the 110 built to shelter the homeless and the landless in Chandipur village of Gaibandha's Gobindaganj were stolen, leaving only concrete-made poles behind.

The houses, built under the former government's Guchchagram project, featured tin roofs and walls. The floors were laid with bricks.

Local residents alleged that remaining houses have turned into a safe haven for drug addicts, gamblers, and criminals. They said during the nights, criminals take drugs and gamble inside the houses, dealing with huge sums of money. Gang members gather to plan unlawful activities, locals also said, adding that robberies have increased in the area.

Locals further said that none of the beneficiaries listed during allocation currently live in the houses, while some also alleged that genuine homeless people never occupied the houses.

The houses remain locked during the day, and since the evening, drug addicts start entering and leaving the places, locals said. Seeking anonymity they said, they fear protesting due to the frequent presence of political leaders and activists in the houses.

Several houses lacking tin-shed, or windows, remain locked for a long time. In 2017, the houses were distributed free of cost as part of the project implemented at a cost of Tk 60 million. In addition to the houses, 31 tubewells, installed to ensure access to safe drinking water, were also stolen. The objectives of the project were to distribute government land among the landless and support their productive activities through training and providing low-interest loans for socio-economic development.

However, locals said the upazila administration had failed to take any effective initiative to achieve these goals.

Gobindaganj Citizens' Committee Convener MA Matin Molla alleged that no proper verification was conducted before allocating the houses. "Instead of genuine landless families, influential people, including relatives and close associates of political leaders, were allotted houses," he claimed.

Gobindaganj Assistant Commissioner (Land) Tamshid Iran Khan said, "I have heard that many beneficiaries are not living in the houses and that several houses remain locked. The allocation of houses found locked during inspection will be cancelled."

atik.mms2014@gmail.com