Baurkhuma shelter project

Houses lying unrepaired for long

For the 60 odd families living in Baurkhuma shelter project, winter is a dreaded word.

Eighteen years of neglect has left the facilities here in poor shape. With no repair and maintenance, doors, windows, and even the tin roofs of the shelter homes are gone.

Take the case of Hasina Akhter's home. Hasina's family had no land. She thought she was lucky when authorities allotted her family a home at the project. Her husband died and Hasina now stays with her three sons and her only daughter. But, a complete lack of maintenance has rendered her home of 18 years unfit for living. With no end to their miseries in sight, Hasina fears she might lose whatever's still left.

"All the doors and windows are beyond repair. Even the tin roof is gone," laments Hasina. In the roof's place, there are now polythene sheets.

Across the 4 acres and 80 decimals of land the project occupies, the story is the same.

Abdul Jalil and Abdul Hannan are residents of the project. Both of them recalled the facilities the project used to offer in the beginning. "We had deep tube wells and one toilet for every 10 families," they said. None of these are functional anymore.

ASHK Sadek, education minister of then Awami League government, inaugurated the project on July 22, 2000. After that, the project never got any government support.

Councillor Abdul Mannan Liton of Parshuram municipality said the homes need immediate repairs. "These are not fit to live anymore."

"After inauguration, the project never got any government grant," Liton said.

Landless, homeless, destitute, and vagrant families received homes under this permanent rehabilitation project. The families received permanent ownership of the land of their shelter homes. The land for each home got registered with the husband and the wife as joint owners.

Under the project's plan, the beneficiaries also received vocational training. To make them self-sufficient, the upazila cooperative office gave beneficiaries micro loans.

But many beneficiaries have been unable to pay back. For many of them, the interest due now equals the principal. Several such debtors are fleeing around as they cannot pay the loan back.

Milan Kanti, the upazila cooperative officer, said lending stopped after an initial Tk. 6 lakh total disbursement.

Parshuram mayor Nizam Uddin Ahmed Choudhury Sajal claimed the shelter residents receive aid on a regular basis. He said he granted the shelter funds to repair a barrack after it caught fire. The mayor agreed that homes at the shelter are not worth living anymore.

 

Baurkhuma shelter project

Houses lying unrepaired for long

For the 60 odd families living in Baurkhuma shelter project, winter is a dreaded word. Eighteen years of neglect has left the facilities here in poor shape. With no repair and maintenance, doors, windows, and even the tin roofs of the shelter homes are gone. Take the case of Hasina Akhters home. Hasinas family had no land. She thought she was lucky when authorities allotted her family a home at the project. Her husband died and Hasina now stays with her three sons and her only daughter. But, a complete lack of maintenance has rendered her home of 18 years unfit for living. With no end to their miseries in sight, Hasina fears she might lose whatevers still left. All the doors and windows are beyond repair. Even the tin roof is gone, laments Hasina. In the roofs place, there are now polythene sheets. Across the 4 acres and 80 decimals of land the project occupies, the story is the same. Abdul Jalil and Abdul Hannan are residents of the project. Both of them recalled the facilities the project used to offer in the beginning. We had deep tube wells and one toilet for every 10 families, they said. None of these are functional anymore. ASHK Sadek, education minister of then Awami League government, inaugurated the project on July 22, 2000. After that, the project never got any government support. Councillor Abdul Mannan Liton of Parshuram municipality said the homes need immediate repairs. These are not fit to live anymore. After inauguration, the project never got any government grant, Liton said. Landless, homeless, destitute, and vagrant families received homes under this permanent rehabilitation project. The families received permanent ownership of the land of their shelter homes. The land for each home got registered with the husband and the wife as joint owners. Under the projects plan, the beneficiaries also received vocational training. To make them self-sufficient, the upazila cooperative office gave beneficiaries micro loans. But many beneficiaries have been unable to pay back. For many of them, the interest due now equals the principal. Several such debtors are fleeing around as they cannot pay the loan back. Milan Kanti, the upazila cooperative officer, said lending stopped after an initial Tk. 6 lakh total disbursement. Parshuram mayor Nizam Uddin Ahmed Choudhury Sajal claimed the shelter residents receive aid on a regular basis. He said he granted the shelter funds to repair a barrack after it caught fire. The mayor agreed that homes at the shelter are not worth living anymore.