The government has raised the cost and brought changes in design to make Ashrayan houses more sustainable and resident-friendly.

Now the landless and homeless people will get better quality abodes along with at least two decimals of land.

Some 65,474 houses are now being constructed with new design and higher cost. The homeless families will get the houses in the third phase of Ashrayan-2 Project.

The cost against each house has been increased to Tk 259,500 from Tk 190,000 to make the houses more durable and spectacular, said Senior Secretary of Prime Minister’s Office Md Tofazzel Hossain Miah.

Besides, portable houses are given to homeless families staying in Char lands so that they can move their house during soil erosion, he said.  

Project Director of Ashrayan-2 Abu Saleh Mohammad Ferdous Khan said the houses which are being constructed in the third phase will be more sustainable.

"The cost against each house was increased by Tk 69,000 and changes were made in structural design to make the house more long-lasting," he said while visiting 64 houses at Gohailbari Ashrayan site in Shimulia Union under Ashulia circle in Savar Upazila of Dhaka district on Wednesday.

"We will hand over the third phase houses as soon as possible," said the Project Director.

Earlier, a total of 117,329 pucca-houses with two decimal of lands were provided to the landless and homeless people as the gift of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina under Ashrayan-2 project in the first two phases in 2021 on the occasion of Mujib Year.

As of the current fiscal year, Tk 3,971 crore has been allocated for construction of the houses to implement Sheikh Hasina’s dream to keep no homeless people in the country, according to the Ashrayan factsheet.

Since the Ashrayan houses are constructed on Khas lands and purchased lands, a total of 155 acres of lands were purchased across the country.

The allocation against the purchased lands is Tk 109 crore and some 6,891 families are being rehabilitated in the purchased lands.

Besides, 155 acres of Khas lands were recovered from illegal occupants in the Mujib Year and the market prices of the Khas lands is approximately Tk 2,967 crore.

Sheikh Hasina-led government launched Ashrayan project in June 1997 and some 35 lakh people of 708,003 homeless families have so far been rehabilitated with domiciles.