PMO’s high-level teams begin countrywide visit

Houses are being built under the Ashrayan project
UNB

Several high level teams of Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) will go in field visit to houses which are being built for landless and homeless people across the country under the Ashrayan project.

Five teams of PMO will visit houses in different districts and upazilas from Friday morning even amid the strict restrictions in the wake of coronavirus as the project is one of 10 special initiatives of prime minister Sheikh Hasina with the pledge of not letting anyone remain homeless in the country, PMO sources said.

The teams have been given directives to submit reports following their visits to both already constructed and under-construction houses at different districts and upazilas after evaluating whether the method of construction works and quality is maintained as per the approved design and estimations.

Ashrayan-2 project director Md Mahbub Hossain will lead one of the high level teams.

The teams will visit different districts and upazilas in Dhaka, Rajshahi, Sylhet, Rangpur and Mymensingh divisions.

The visit will be continued in any situation as it is one of the priority projects of the government of prime minister Sheikh Hasina, Mahbub Hossain told newspersons.

Emotions of all us are connected with it. Any kinds of flaws, irregularities and corruption in implementation of the project will not be accepted by any means
Ahmad Kaikaus, Prime minister’s principal secretary

“Every case is important to us as dream of each family is connected with each house. That’s why we are going to visit the houses from the Prime Minister’s Office even amid this tough situation of pandemic,” he said.

Mahbub Hossain said Ashrayan is the largest humanitarian project of prime minister Sheikh Hasina.

“Since the outset, we have zero tolerance policy against any irregularities and negligence in this project,” the project director said.

He said administrative actions have already been taken in the areas where allegations were raised and at the same time they would do everything including repairing or reconstruction to those houses which were not built as per the approved design.

In many places, some houses got damaged due to heavy rainfall, flooding and natural disasters while some houses got damaged due to flaws in construction works in different areas, he said, adding that those houses are being rebuilt or repaired.

But an organised quarter is out to spread misleading information and propaganda to make the humanitarian project, a dream project of prime minister Sheikh Hasina, controversial which is very much unexpected, said the project director.

“Keep trust in Prime Minister’s Office. Houses will be given to all landless and homeless people,” he said.

The government has zero tolerance policy against any irregularities, negligence and misappropriation of money in the construction works of the houses.

After investigations, tough actions are being taken against those who are found involved in irregularities while five government officials have already been made Officer on Special Duty (OSD).

In this regard, prime minister’s principal secretary Ahmad Kaikaus said Ashrayan is a dream project of prime minister Sheikh Hasina with the slogan “Ashrayaner Odhikar, Sheikh Hasina’r Upohar” (Rights to Shelter, Gift of Sheikh Hasina).

“Emotions of all us are connected with it. Any kinds of flaws, irregularities and corruption in implementation of the project will not be accepted by any means,” he said.

One must be given punishment if he or she is found involved in irregularities or negligence and none would be spared to this end, he said.

Under the Ashrayan project in implementing “Sheikh Hasina is model in inclusive development”, a total of 118,380 landless and homeless families have been given two-room semi-pucca tin-shed houses on two decimal lands so far.

The government prepared a list of 885,622 families in 2020, of which 293,361 families are landless and homeless and 592,261 families have 1-10 decimal land but no housing facility. All of them will be given houses in phases.