No room for elderly persons at Tk 820m Shanti Nibash across 8 cities

There are eight attractive buildings in eight cities across the country for helpless and homeless elderly people. Each building is called a ‘Shanti Nibash’ (Old Home). They have all the necessary facilities for elderly citizens to live there. But no one lives there. Most of the buildings have been lying uncared for and neglected for nearly three years. Dust has accumulated inside the buildings, damaging furniture, while moss has grown on the walls in some places.

Of the eight districts where Shanti Nibash have been built, only women can stay in Gopalganj, Lalmonirhat, Sunamganj and Noakhali. Four homes for men are in Mymensingh, Rajshahi, Khulna and Barishal. Each home has accommodation for 25 people. A total of Tk 820 million was spent to build the eight Shanti Nibash.

According to information on the Department of Social Services website, the ‘Shanti Nibas’ programme was undertaken to provide safe accommodation for abandoned, unclaimed, distressed and neglected elderly people aged over 60. Government child family homes were selected as the locations so that children there could grow up in a family-like environment by living alongside elderly people. At the same time, the programme aims to improve the quality of life of elderly people and ensure their care and security.

A project to build eight Shanti Nibas for elderly people was undertaken in July 2020. According to data from the Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED) of the Planning Ministry’s intensive monitoring report, the estimated cost of the Shanti Nibas project was Tk 739.90 million. The work was scheduled to be completed by June 2022. However, as the work was disrupted for various reasons, the project deadline was extended to June 2023. At the same time, the revised estimated cost stood at Tk 820.07 million. The eight Shanti Nibas were ‘officially inaugurated’ simultaneously on 14 November 2023.

According to the latest ‘Population and Housing Census 2022’, the number of people aged over 60 in the country is 15,326,719. Elderly people account for 9.28 per cent of the total population. The figure was 7.47 per cent in the 2011 census. The number of elderly people is increasing as the average life expectancy of the country’s population rises.

According to division-wise census data, Dhaka has the highest number of people aged over 60, at 3,606,662. Chattogram is next, with 2,795,679 elderly people. Rajshahi has 2,069,169, Khulna 1,869,612, Rangpur 1,781,789, Mymensingh 1,274,111, Barishal 997,183 and Sylhet 914,739.

Wednesday, 1 October marks the International Day of Older Persons under the theme "The Age of Longevity: Rethinking Systems for Longer Lives,".

There is a 50-bed home for elderly people at the Bangladesh Association for the Aged and Institute of Geriatric Medicine in Agargaon, Dhaka, which is run under the Department of Social Services. However, residents have to pay to stay there. Apart from this, several institutions similar to elderly homes have been established in different parts of the country through private initiatives. Residents of those institutions also have to bear their own expenses.

The eight Shanti Nibas were built following the same design. Three-storey buildings were constructed on five-storey foundations. Each building has an area of 1,621 square metres. The buildings have various modern facilities for elderly people, including lifts, reception rooms, visitors’ rooms, sitting areas, bedrooms, healthcare corners, recreation facilities, exercise corners, prayer rooms, training corners and coffee corners.

The Shanti Nibas project under the Department of Social Services was implemented by the Public Works Department. Each building cost Tk 60 million to Tk 70 million to construct. A separate budget was allocated for furniture and other equipment.

According to the Barishal office of the Public Works Department, construction of the three-storey Shanti Nibas building was completed in June 2023 at a cost of around Tk 70 million. Another Tk 20 million was later spent to make the home suitable for residence. The building was subsequently handed over to the Department of Social Services, said Md Faisal Alam, executive engineer at the Barishal office of the Public Works Department.

Prothom Alo spoke to officials in charge of the social services offices in the eight districts about why the Shanti Nibas could not be opened. The same answer came from all the districts: although the buildings have been completed, no staff have been appointed so far. Besides, the budget required to operate each home has not been approved. Once the eight homes are opened, 200 elderly people will have the opportunity to stay there.

Shah Mohammad Mahboob, director general of the Department of Social Services, told Prothom Alo over the phone on Tuesday afternoon that the Shanti Nibas facilities could not be opened because there was no staff. Approval for staff for the eight Shanti Nibas was given last month. He hopes the Shanti Nibas homes can be opened by October.

The Shanti Nibas in Barishal was built on the premises of the Sagaradi Sarkari Shishu Paribar (State Children Home) (Boys) in the city. During a visit there in the second week of September, it was found that layers of dust had accumulated on the floors, stairs and verandahs of the building. Exercise equipment, furniture and other items were lying around. The lift was also not operational. Clear signs of neglect were visible in various parts of the building.

Professor Shah Sajeda, an elderly educationist in Barishal and president of the district Women’s Council, told Prothom Alo that it was extremely unfortunate that the Shanti Nibas had not been opened due to a lack of staff after the building was constructed at a huge cost.

“This is nothing but negligence by the relevant government department. It proves that the culture of neglecting elderly people is not limited to society and families; it also exists within the state structure,” she said.

The Shanti Nibas in Rajshahi is located in the Baya area of Paba upazila. During a visit there on 5 August, it was found that a film was being shot at the home. A local director, with permission from the relevant authorities, was filming scenes of police activities inside a police station in two rooms on the ground floor of the building. One room had been arranged as the duty officer’s room of a police station. The cast and crew had been provided with seating and dining arrangements in another large room.

Exercise equipment, high-quality utensils, furniture and various other items were lying inside the building. The other rooms in the building were locked that day.

The foundation plaque in front of the building is still there. The name of the then social welfare minister has been blacked out with ink. The date on the foundation plaque is 15 November 2022.

Rajshahi Department of Social Services Deputy Director Monira Khatun said there was no staff available to operate the Shanti Nibas.

The Shanti Nibas for Dhaka division has been established at the Distressed Child Training and Rehabilitation Center in Tungipara, Gopalganj. Signs of neglect were also found there. The unused rooms were lying in an unclean condition. Dust had accumulated on the beds, while some areas were damp. It was evident that the upper floors of the building were not cleaned regularly.

Sheela Saha, supervisor (assistant director) of the Gopalganj Destitute Children’s Training and Rehabilitation Centre, said the ground floor of the building is cleaned occasionally.

The Shanti Nibas in Khulna is located inside the State Children Home in Maheshwarpasha in the city. During a visit there, it was found that moss had accumulated on the stairs, verandas and walls due to the building remaining unused for a long time, while the railings had started to rust.

There is a physicians’ room on the ground floor of the building. A bed, several wheelchairs, a therapy bed and various other equipment are kept there. Various exercise equipment and several boxes were lying in the adjacent gym room. Two fairly large dining tables were seen in the dining room on the ground floor. Although there were some fire extinguishers in the building, their expiry dates had passed.

Khan Motahar Hossain, deputy director of the Divisional Social Services Office, said furniture and other equipment were being damaged to some extent because they had been lying unused for a long time.

The Shanti Nibas in Lalmonirhat has been built on 30 decimals of land inside the State Children Home (Girls) beside College Road in Lalmonirhat town. During a visit there on the afternoon of 24 September, it was found that all the rooms were locked from outside. The building’s electricity connection had been disconnected because of unpaid bills. The maintenance contract for the lift had also expired.

According to the district social services office, the building was constructed at a cost of Tk 80.14 million. The district Public Works Department handed over the building to the Department of Social Services on 30 August 2023.

The Shanti Nibas in Sunamganj has been established at the Children’s Family in the Hasannagar area on the eastern edge of the municipal town. The furniture inside the building was being damaged as it had remained unused for a long time. The water pump was also out of order.

Mujahidul Islam, a resident of the Hasannagar area, told Prothom Alo that although the Shanti Nibas was within the municipality, the surroundings were quite rural. There were haors, villages and a quiet environment nearby. Therefore, he said, the location was suitable for a Shanti Nibas. However, it was unfortunate that the building was being left unused like this.

During an on-site visit to the Shanti Nibas inside the State Children Home in Shambhuganj, Mymensingh city, it was found that beds, wardrobes, tables and other necessary furniture were lying inside various rooms of the building. Furniture was being damaged as rainwater entered different rooms of the building. As a result, tables and wardrobes had been placed on top of the beds.

Mohammad Mosharraf Hossain, who works as a ‘boro bhaiya (elder brother)’ at the Mymensingh’s State Children Home, told Prothom Alo that water accumulated in various parts of the building during rain. As the narrow pipes used to drain the water became clogged with dirt and leaves, water entered the rooms and damaged the furniture. Almost all the furniture was on the verge of being damaged, he said.

Ten-year-old Rifat Mia has been living at the Mymensingh children home for nearly two years. He is from Salpa village of Phulpur upazila. His father died about a year ago. His mother lives at home. After Rifat’s father developed paralysis before his death, Rifat found shelter at the children home.

During a conversation, Rifat said, “If elderly people lived here, they would be like our grandparents. We could spend time with them, and we would have enjoyed it too.”

Children, adolescent girls and young women from the State Children Home are currently living at the Shanti Nibas in Noakhali. During the 2024 floods, water entered the dilapidated building of the Children Home, rendering it completely unusable. Later, with permission from the district administration and senior authorities, members of the Children Home were temporarily accommodated at the Shanti Nibas, said Shyamal Chandra Pal, deputy supervisor of the Children Home.

Local officials of the Department of Social Services have expressed dissatisfaction over the quality of construction of the Noakhali Shanti Nibas. They said that according to the rules, the transformer room was supposed to be located separately outside the building, but it was installed inside the main building. This has created a risk of accidents. Although a lift was installed in the building, it has remained out of order even before it could be used.

The plan was to build similar residences for elderly people in all districts of the country later, based on the experience of these eight Shanti Nibas at the ‘pilot’ stage. But even nearly three years after their inauguration, accommodation has not been ensured for a single elderly person at any of the Shanti Nibas.

Kudrat-e-Khuda, general secretary of SHUJAN (Citizens for Good Governance) in Khulna district, told Prothom Alo that merely taking up a project was not enough; the necessary initiatives to implement the project also had to be taken.

According to him, if there were shortcomings in such initiatives, it had to be assumed that the project planners were interested only in spending money to construct buildings.

This created opportunities for corruption and made many people richer, he said.

Although the buildings are ready, no required staffing structure has been created for any of the eight Shanti Nibas. No allocation has been made for the maintenance or operation of these buildings either.

Officials of the Department of Social Services in Sunamganj said 25 staff members would initially be needed at each Shanti Nibas for its proper operation. At the same time, a doctor would have to be appointed on a full-time basis to provide medical services.

Hawa Khatun, deputy supervisor of the State Children Home (Girls) in Lalmonirhat, has been informally looking after the Shanti Nibas. She sent a letter to the Lalmonirhat deputy commissioner on 11 November 2024. The letter said that as the Shanti Nibas had not been opened, the building and furniture inside it were being damaged. Opening the facility would benefit the elderly population of the area.

The statement in the letter finds resonance in the words of over-70-year-old Ayesha Khatun of Adarsha Para in Lalmonirhat Sadar. Her husband died around 20 years ago. They have a son and a daughter. Both are busy with their own families. They too, however, live in financially constrained households.

Ayesha Khatun told Prothom Alo that she had no proper place to live. Sometimes she stayed with her son and sometimes went to her daughter’s home. She had heard that a Shanti Nibas had been built for elderly people in Lalmonirhat town. If the facility was opened, she wanted to spend the last few days of her life there.

[Abul Kalam Muhammad Azad, Rajshahi; M Jasim Uddin, Barishal; Mahbubur Rahman, Noakhali; Khalil Rahman, Sunamganj; Uttam Mondal, Khulna; Mostafizur Rahman, Mymensingh; Abdur Rab, Lalmonirhat; and Nuton Sheikh, Gopalganj contributed reporting.]