95pc of Ashrayan project houses remain locked at Jaldhaka

JALDHAKA, NILPHAMARI, Nov 3: Around 95 per cent of the houses built under the Ashrayan-2 project in Jaldhaka Upazila of Nilphamari remain locked, several years after construction, with only 5-10 per cent of beneficiaries living there.

The project was launched during the previous government to provide shelter to landless and homeless people through the Prime Minister's Office. However, many of the houses built with public funds are now lying vacant, raising questions about beneficiary selection, project planning and maintenance.

A visit to the Gar Dharmapal area of Dharmapal Union on Sunday found that 135 of the 152 tin-shed houses built under the project in 2019-20 were locked. Only 17 families were found living there. Each house was built at a cost of Tk 2 lakh and handed over to beneficiaries.

Similar situations have been reported at several other Ashrayan project sites across the upazila. Many concrete and tin-shed houses have become uninhabitable due to a lack of supervision and maintenance.

The Balapara area of Koimari Union and Gar Dharmapal in Dharmapal Union are among the locations where a large number of government-funded houses remain abandoned.

Local residents alleged irregularities, political influence and nepotism in selecting beneficiaries, claiming that many genuine homeless families were left out while some recipients already owned houses and land.

They also blamed land disputes and the projects' locations in sparsely populated areas for the low occupancy.

Residents said many families had left the projects because of poor living conditions and a lack of regular maintenance. Overgrown bushes, damaged houses and inadequate drainage have further worsened the situation.

They called for repairing the abandoned houses, clearing the overgrown vegetation and improving drainage facilities to make the settlements habitable.

Abu Taher, chairman of Dharmapal Union Parishad, said repairing the houses and improving the living conditions would allow disadvantaged families to live there safely.

Local representatives and residents said inadequate planning during implementation had contributed to the current situation.

Jaldhaka Upazila Project Implementation Officer Nahiduzzaman said the administration would investigate beneficiaries who had received houses but were not living there.

"Action will be taken after an investigation. Otherwise, genuine homeless families will be rehabilitated in those houses," he said.

Upazila Nirbahi Officer Jannatul Ferdous Happy said the administration would begin monitoring the houses to make them suitable for habitation and take necessary steps in consultation with the relevant authorities.