JHENIDAH, Oct 22: Sufferings of the residents in the government Ashrayan project in the district mounted as most houses have turned dilapidated with no innovation conducted since they were built in 2002.
About 2,000 landless families were rehabilitated in 26 Ashrayan projects in Jhenidah at that time.
Built 16 years ago, aiming to shelter a number of the landless families, the houses are now centres of woes to the users having nowhere to go.
Ashrayan centre at Muraridah, 2.0 km off Jhenidah town, comprises of 23 tin-shed barracks containing 10 rooms each.
And 230 families there are leading subhuman life hoping to see their sad houses renovated anytime soon.
While visiting Ashrayan centre, locally known as 'Vumihin' this correspondent discovered the shelter to be ramshackle.
The dilapidated tin-shed houses appear substantially unsafe during adverse weather conditions. Rainwater rolls down through the tin wholes to floors of most rooms.
Though a tube-well was allotted for 10 families each, most of them are now left out of order. Besides, their roads have gone extremely bad to move along. Various problems have already made many leave the houses.
The old people and children are the worst sufferers to bear the approaching bitter cold winter to enter the broken-walled rooms. They often suffer from adverse weather-related complications.
The denizens' suffering in absence of pond has mounted where there is no water body for hundred of people to bath at ease.
Mokbul Hossain, 65, said to this correspondent, "It was kind of PM Sheikh Hasina to build abodes for landless people like use. However, the houses have not taken care of as they were built benevolently."
Unsupported and dissatisfied, a widow Kabiran (80), said, "Nobody enquires about us. We have been subjected to experiencing troubles to live here."
Md Nazrul Islam, chairman of Paglakanai union in which the shelter centre falls said, "The landless in the Ashrayan centre are suffering profusely. Effective steps including renovation of their houses and digging up a pond can relieve them of what predicament they have been undergoing for long."
Deputy Commission of Jhenidah Saroj Kumar Nath said, "We have sent a letter mentioning all kinds of problems to the direct of Ashrayan project. We have discussed it in the conference of DCs. The authorities concerned told us to send estimation. We sent it. And atonement from there will make us able to start the work anytime soon."
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