Some 4 lakh people across Bangladesh’s vast coast did not require going to cyclone shelters as Cyclone Sitrang hit the country on Monday thanks to the disaster-resilient houses under the Ashrayan-2 project.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina gifted those houses to the landless people.

They took refuge in 61, 378 Ashrayan houses, which were distributed among the landless and homeless families in the 19 coastal districts in four phases over the last two years.

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During the Cyclone Sitrang, tens of thousands of neighbours also took shelter in the semi-pucca houses, said officials at the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).

The disaster-resilient houses also helped reduce the extent of damage of domestic animals and other property during the cyclonic storm.

According to the PMO’s monitoring cell, a total of 219,690 people and 45,442 cattle were evacuated to the cyclone shelters in the 19 coastal districts during the cyclone. But there are 7,490 shelters with total capacity of nearly 43 lakh people in the coastal areas.

Read:Cyclone Sitrang aftermath: 10,000 houses in 419 unions damaged, says state minister

The Ashrayan project is a housing scheme of the Prime Minister’s Office, which is being implemented with an objective to build homes for the homeless and displaced people throughout the country.

Under the project, 6,941 houses were distributed in Patuakhali district, while 4,834 in Barishal, 2,600 in Barguna, 1,842 in Jhalakathi, 4,867 in Pirojpur, 3,529 in Bhola, 2,662 in Shariatpur, 3,805 in Gopalganj, 2,794 in Bagerhat, 829 in Narail, 3,950 in Khulna, 2,153 in Jashore, 2,906 in Satkhira, 1,659 in Feni, 3,688 in Noakhali, 3,228 in Lakshmipur, 408 in Chandpur, 5,043 in Chattogram and 3,640 in Cox’s Bazar.