Asrayan project: Cracks in the dream houses

Shahida Begum, 70, used to live on alms. Her husband Abdul Jabbar went missing long ago, leaving her totally deserted and homeless.

In January this year, the floating sexagenarian–who had to spend nights in railway stations, bus stands or verandas – was presented a shelter or ‘dream house’ by the prime minister.

Although Shahida’s shelter at the cluster village in Dashtiaka Dighirpar under Bogura Sadar upazila was a great relief to her, it did not sustain long. Two months ago, several cracks developed in the walls of the house, resulting in total collapse within a couple of days.

During a visit to the cluster village on Sunday, this correspondent did not find Shahida there. Her sister Shirin Akhter, also a beneficiary of the government shelter project, said Shahida has ended up in homeless again.

Shirin’s house also makes her family members panic as cracks developed in her house walls too.

Other dwellers at Dashtika Dighirpar cluster village fear their houses may collapse too.

They are in constant tension fear of their houses collapsing as cracks appear in the walls, the plaster and floor crumble in the remaining 47 shelter houses among the 55 ones constructed at Nishindara union in Bogura district.

Within six months of inauguration, eight of the houses collapsed because of sub-standard construction material, the dwellers complained.

According to Ashrayan-2 project officials, prime minister Sheikh Hasina on 23 January officially handed over 250 shelter houses among homeless people in Bogura Sadar upazila, as part of celebrating the birth centenary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

During the construction phase, concerns mounted as sub-standard construction materials allegedly were used in building the 250 shelter houses in Bogura Sadar.

On 30 December last year, broadcast journalists of a private-run television channel came under attack when they tried to investigate irregularities in building 55 shelter houses at Dashtika Dighirpar cluster village.

Bogura district administration, eventually, formed a probe body to further investigate the matter. However, the probe body found no irregularities.

As the recent news on collapse of prime minister-presented shelter houses at some other places in the country popped up, Bogura Sadar upazila administration began reconstruction of the damaged shelters at Dashtika Dighirpar cluster village.

The cluster village project implementation committee president, Md Azizur Rahman–the Bogura Sadar upazila nirbahi officer–said, reconstruction of seven houses at the cluster village started recently. He, however, denied allegations of irregularities at the initial construction phase.

*This report appeared in the print edition of Prothom Alo, has been rewritten in English by Sadiqur Rahman.