50,000 homeless to be rehabilitated by 2018

Land Minister Shamsur Rahman Sherif yesterday said the government would rehabilitate 50,000 homeless people by 2018.

“The government would provide houses along with khas land to homeless people across the country,” he told a seminar at Land Administration Training Centre in the capital.

The land ministry organised the daylong seminar on rehabilitation of the homeless under the cluster village project phase-II, with the national project director of Cluster Village (Guchhogram) Project M Mahbub-ul-Alam in the chair.

The seminar was also addressed, among others, by Land Secretary Mejbah-ul-Alam as the special guest.

The minister said the prime minister gave a directive to find khas land across the country to construct houses for homeless people.

A total of 45 trainers including additional deputy commissioners (ADCs), upazila nirbahi officers (UNOs), and assistant commissioners (land) took part in the seminar.

The minister said some 800 homeless people would be rehabilitated by this year.

He said each cluster village would be brought under electricity coverage, and the government would ensure social security, education, safe drinking water, and sanitation facility as fundamental rights.

Earlier, the prime minister announced the government's housing programme, and the land ministry adopted a master plan to rehabilitate 50,000 homeless people.

Meanwhile, the government rehabilitated 254 homeless families under the cluster village programme in 61 districts.

Among others, Land Administration Training Centre director Mohammad Shahed Sabur, cluster villages deputy project director AKM Nurul Amin Sarker, and deputy director of the training centre ARM Khalekuzzaman, were present.