Bangladesh News

Hasina unveiled the foundation plaque for the Ministry of Housing and Public Works project via videoconference at the Ganabhaban on Thursday.

“We want to bring a smile to the faces of the people living in slums,” she said. “This is why we are constructing rent-based residential flats for them.”

The government is working to provide housing for those without land or homes, the prime minister said.

“We are thinking of every person, we want to create a good living place for everyone.”

“It is our goal that no one should be homeless. It is an order from the Father of the Nation.”

The apartments for slum dwellers are being construction at Section 11 of the Mirpur Housing Estate

In the first phase of the project, five 14-storey buildings are to be constructed on two acres. Each building will contain 117 apartments, providing housing for 533 families.

The first phase of the project is estimated to cost Tk 1.1 billion. Construction is scheduled to be complete by September 2020.

Each apartment will be 483 square feet and will have two bedrooms, a living cum dining room, a kitchen, a separate bathroom and toilet and a balcony.

Each building will also have a community hall, two elevators and two service elevators.

Land left over after the construction of the apartments will be used for fields, parks and roads.

Each flat will be leased for a 10-year period, with rent rising by 5 percent every two years.

The second phase of the project will construct 80 14-storey buildings on eight acres, providing housing to 9,467 families.

The prime minister said government teams had surveyed each slum for a better understanding of the situation before proceeding with the project.

“The rent will be lower than the amount slum residents have to pay in rent and to middlemen,” she said. “People will be allowed to pay how they can. Those who can pay monthly can do so, but they can also pay weekly. If someone wants to pay on a daily basis we will also make the necessary arrangements.”

The prime minister said that the project was aimed at helping slum residents to live a humane life.

“Slum residents often live in inhumane conditions and have very few opportunities to escape it. It is our goal to help them.”

“They will pay rent, but we hope that with that payment they will be able to have a better life.”

This is only the first phase but the initiative will continue, Hasina said.

Modern technology will speed up construction, she said.

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