Khulna Ashrayan projects turn uninhabitable

The inhabitants of different 'Ashrayan Projects' in seven upazilas of Khulna have been living a miserable life for lack of basic facilities like education, power connections and healthcare services.

Some 3,635 landless families have been living in 408 barracks built under the 43 Ashrayan projects in Paikgachcha, Dumuria, Terokhada, Batiaghata, Dakope, Rupsha and Koyra upazilas.

In a bid to rehabilitate landless and destitute people, the government has initiated 'Ashrayan Project' 'Ashrayan Project (Phase-2)' and 'Ashrayan Project-II' since 1999.

Although the government has arranged sheds for people, but could not fulfill other basic facilities like sanitation, pure drinking water, education, healthcare services and power connections. Besides, there is no job opportunity in and around the area, locals said.

Sources said many of the families who took shelter in the projects have already left the places for lack of facilities.

Sources at the Khulna local administration said 43 projects have been implemented under three projects so far where 408 barrack houses were built, accommodating 3,635 families.

Of these, some 1,450 people have been living in the 145 barracks under the first phase of Ashrayan Project while 1,740 people in 174 houses under Ashrayan Project (Phase-2) and 445 families in 89 houses under Ashrayan Project-II.

In Paikgachcha upazila, the government has built 40 barracks in Harikhali area near Wapda Dam along Sibsha River for 40 landless families in 2003. But most of the families have left their houses for unavailability of jobs. Only eight families of five to six members each were found living there.

Eshar Ali Gazi, a resident of Harikhali Ashrayan Project, said there is only one toilet there which is also not useable. Besides, they have to drink saline water as the lone tube-well there has already gone out of order, causing immense sufferings to them, he added.

Sahil Uddin, who also lives there, said they could not send their children to any school or madrasa as those are located three kilometers away from the area.

Besides, the scenario of Goalbarir Char Ashrayan Project in Rupsha upazila is almost the same. The only tube-well inside the project site has gone out of order, and there is neither school nearby nor health centre in the area.

No electricity connection is there and the only toilet in the project remained unusable for long as well as the entrance of the site is filled with pile of soil dredged up from the nearby river, said Intaj Ali Fakir, a resident of Goalbarir Char Ashrayan Project.

More worrying, the 10 barracks under the project which were gutted in a fire in 2003, are yet to be repaired, he added.

Shahinur, wife of Sekandar, who lives in Goalbarir project, said they are overburdened with the loan taken from Ashrayan Project Multiple Cooperatives Samity as two of the loan defaulters had fled the area.

In Dumuria upazila, the local administration has set up an Ashrayan Project on 11.95 acres of land at Bhandarpara and built 260 barracks for rehabilitating destitute and landless people in 2001.

When the project was opened, all the rooms were abuzz with families, but now only 60 families are living there.

In Terokhada upazila, an Ashrayan project was built in Harikhali area in 2002. The residents of this project have been suffering a lot during the monsoon as the houses went under knee-deep water in rainy season.

Ratna Begum, a resident of the project, said the tin-roofed houses there are in vulnerable condition as the plasters of pillars have already disappeared.

"The project was launched to rehabilitate 380 families but many families have left the place due to unemployment," she added.

Sheikh Ashrafuzzaman, general secretary of 'Greater Khulna Unnayan Shaongram Shomonnya Committee', said the authorities concerned should arrange employment opportunities near the projects.

Meanwhile, deputy commissioner of Khulna Amin-Ul-Ahsan said he is well aware about the complexity of the Ashrayan projects. "The unliveable barracks will be renovated in phases," he added.