But Hanif Matubbar, 65, is going to do just that after the government came forward to construct a modern home on a two-decimal land for him.

The government will also hand over the ownership of the two-decimal land to him.

Hanif Matubbar, 65, has been living along with his big family in a shabby hut on another person’s land at Afajuddin Munshikandi village of Zajira upazila under Shariatpur district.

He used to be a day-labourer, but gangrene put an end to his job prospects 27 years ago, a double blow to his life as he became unable to meet the family expenses.

Eventually, he was forced to have his right leg and fingers of the right hand amputated 10 years ago due to gangrene, leading to mounting the misery of his family.

Hanif, a father of three daughters and a son, forgot to see the dream of having a house on his own land as his son is the only bread earner for his family.

Though his three daughters were married off and live at their in-laws', his household has 8 members including his son's wife and four children. Let alone the dream of having a good house, it is even difficult for the family to live hand to mouth with the small income of a van-puller son.

But now the amputee person is going to get a house with modern facilities with a two-decimal of land under Ashrayan-2, a housing project run out of the Prime Minister’s Office.

The construction of the tin-shed pucca house on Khas land in Karimuddin Matubbar Kandi village under Senerchar Union of Zajira Upazila has been completed.

The government will hand over the house and land ownership to his family in mid-January.

Like Hanif Matubbar, 10 homeless and landless families are going to get modern houses on the same site under the Ashrayan-2 Project.

Each two-room home with kitchen, toilet and veranda is being constructed at a cost of Tk 1.75 lakh under the project.

“I never thought that I would have a home on my own land. But now I am happy seeing that I have a pucca-house on my own land. It was something more than my dream,” Hanif Matubbar told UNB.

Abdul Kadir Bapari, 45, a day-labourer, who has been living with his five-member family in a hut constructed on another person's land, is going to get a house in the same site with land ownership. 

He has a wife, four daughters and a ten-year-old son in his family, but his two daughters were married. He is the lone earner for his family.

He said he is satisfied having such a good house. “I’m grateful to the government for giving a poor like me the house with land,” he said.

A widow, Zarina Begum, 65, who has been living with his youngest son in a rented house in Maniknagar Club Mor area will also receive a pucca house in the same Khas land.

She has five sons and a daughter. But four sons and the daughter got married and they all are living in nuclear families.

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“Now I live along with my bachelor son who is a van-puller. We need to pay Tk 1500 each month as the house rent. But we’ll not be required to pay the money anymore,” Jarina Begum told UNB.

Another widow Mamataj Begum, 70, who is childless, will also be given a Tin-shed pucca house there. 

Mamataj, inhabitant of Mujib Hawlader Kandi village, lost her husband 30 years ago. Since then she has been living with her sister’s daughter. She used to  work as a domestic help.

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“I’ve got a shelter getting the house,” she said. 

Zajira Upazila Chairman Mobarak Ali Sikder said a total 54 families are going to get such Tin-shed pucca houses in January next in his upazila.

Of these, 100 percent construction work of 30 houses and 80 percent construction works of the remaining 24 percent have already been completed, he said.

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“The beneficiaries are very happy as they are going to have such pucca houses,” the Upazila Chairman told UNB.

Project Director of Ashrayan-2 Md Mahbub Hossain said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will hand over at least 50,000 houses to homeless and landless people in mid-January.

A total of 65,726 houses are being constructed on Khas lands across the country for the homeless and also landless people at the cost of some Tk 1160 crore in the first phase of Ashrayan-2. The core idea is to commemorate the Mujib Centennial by drastically reducing homelessness in the country..

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“The Prime Minister will also hand over the Kabuliat (document of ownership) of the lands along with houses to the beneficiaries,” he said.

Later, one lakh more houses will be constructed in the second phase in the Mujib Year under the project, said Mahbub Hossain.

“A total of 1.66 houses will be handed over to poor families in the country in the Mujib Year,” said the Project Director.

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The government has a plan to construct some nine lakh houses for the homeless people in phases under the Ashrayan project aiming to ensure that no people would remain homeless, he said.