New house for poor

Four homeless families in Harinakundo upazila have got new houses, built under a government initiative meant for the poor.

Harinakundo upazila administration handed over the houses built under the Ashrayan-2 Project, run by the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), were handed over to the four beneficiaries out of 63 in the first week of November.

Construction of the rest 59 houses is already going on and those will be handed over to the beneficiaries soon after completion.

The beneficiaries are Ayesha Begum, wife of Fazlur Rahman, Rajab Ali, son of Khorshed Mondol, Anjer Ali, son of late Bisharat Ali, and his son Karimul Islam.

During a visit to the project site at Mandertala village in the upazila this correspondent saw each house comprises of a room, a veranda and a sanitary latrine.

The walls of the tin-shed houses are brick-made, though they were supposed to be built with corrugated iron sheets.

Sixty-five-year-old Anjer Ali of Mandartala village said he used to live in a dilapidated house on his three decimals of land with his family consisting of six members.

Anjer said they cannot describe how happy they are now because earlier whenever it rained they became wet and could not sleep.

Another beneficiary Ayesha Begum said earlier she had a shabby makeshift house on four decimals of land but she has a new house now.

Failing to control her emotion Ayesha burst into tears and said she has no words that can describe her happiness.

Harinakundo Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Mohammad Saiful Islam said 63 people, who have their own land but do not have the ability to erect a house there, were enlisted as the beneficiaries under Ashrayan-02 Project.

Under the project titled 'Jar Jami Achhe Ghar Nei Tar Nij Jamite Ghar Nirman', Tk one lakh was allocated for constructing each tin-shed house with a sanitary latrine and a veranda, the UNO said, adding that, according to the estimate walls were supposed to be made with corrugated iron sheet, but he built those with bricks.

The construction of the four houses were started on October 15 and completed in the first week of November, the UNO added.