The government is going to announce Panchagarh and Magura as the landless-homeless-free districts this week as all the landless families are being rehabilitated with modern abodes and lands there.
A total of 52 upazilas of different districts, including all the eight upazilas of Panchagarh and Magura, will also be announced as having no landless and homeless families as part of the government’s commitment made on the occasion of the Mujib Year to ensure shelter for all the homeless in the country.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will make this announcement on Thursday next during the distribution of 26,229 houses among the landless families across the country, said her principal secretary Ahmad Kaikaus at a press briefing at the Prime Minister’s Office on Monday.
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Kaikaus said a total of 19,780 landless families were rehabilitated in the 52 upazilas. “The number of landless-homeless families is zero in the entire Panchagarh and Magura. It is a huge achievement,” he said.
In this context, PMO senior secretary Md Tofazzel Hossain Miah said if anyone is found as landless in the two districts and 52 upazilas, the person will immediately be given a house with land. The local administration has already been given an order in this regard, he said.
The 52 upazilas are Nawabganj in Dhaka; Madaripur Sadar; Damudya in Shariatpur; Katiadi in Kishoreganj; Gopalpur in Tangail; Ghior and Saturia in Manikganj; Kalukhali in Rajbari; Nagarkanda in Faridpur; Madan in Netrokona; Bhaluka, Nandail, Phulpur and Fulbaria in Mymensingh; Bakshiganj in Jamalpur; Patiya, Karnaphuli, Satkania and Lohagara in Chattogram; Raipur and Ramganj in Laxmipur; Feni Sadar, Chhagalnaiya, Fulgazi and Parshuram in Feni; Gobindaganj in Gaibandha; Atwari, Panchagarh Sadar, Debiganj, Tetulia and Boda in Panchagarh; Nawabganj in Dinajpur; Baliadangi in Thakurgaon; Dimla in Nilphamari; Raninagar in Naogaon; Panchbibi in Joypurhat; Mohonpur, Charghat and Bagha in Rajshahi; Nandigram and Dupchanchia in Bogura; Bagatipara in Natore; Ishwardi in Pabna; Shibganj in Chapainawabganj; Harinakundu in Jhenaidah; Tala in Satkhira; Magura Sadar, Sreepur, Mohammadpur and Shalikha in Magura; Kathalia in Jhalakathi and Dashmina in Patuakhali.
The principal secretary said some 67,800 houses are being provided among landless and homeless families in the third phase of Ashrayan-2, a project of the PMO.
Of these, 32,904 houses were handed over on April 26 last, 26,229 ones will be handed over on July 21 next and the construction of 8,667 other houses is still underway, he added.
Earlier, 117,329 semi-pucca houses along with two decimal lands were distributed among the homeless people in the country in the first two phases on January 23, 2021 and June 20, 2021 on the occasion of the Mujib Year marking the birth centenary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
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Some Tk 4,029 crore were allocated for Ashrayan houses in 2021-2022 fiscal year.
The government recovered some 5,512 acres of Khas lands to construct houses for homeless people throughout the country and approximate market value of these lands is Tk 2,967 crore.
Besides, the government procured 191.79 acres of lands at cost of Tk 134 crore for construction of houses under the Ashrayan-2 project. And 8,462 landless families have so far been rehabilitated on the procured lands.
Kaikaus said the government will continue implementing the Ashraya-2 project despite the global economic crisis as the house scheme is contributing to make the rural economy vibrant amid the crisis.
He said there are only 22,000 floating people across the country according to the recent population census.
PM’s Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim, Project Director of Ashrayan-2 Abu Saleh Mohammad Ferdous Khan and PMO Director General (Admin) Mohd. Ahsan Kibria Siddiqui were present at the briefing.