Residents of Natuarpara (Borobila) Ashrayan Project under Khajura union of Mohadevpur upazila in Naogaon are living in utter distress at the ramshackle houses facing unhealthy, nasty environment and water logging.
Due to non-repair of the houses for a long time, all rooms under the project have turned unfit for use. Moreover, an acute shortage of clean water, unhygienic sanitation system and dilapidated road conditions have made the residents under the project impossible to live in.
It is learnt, the Ashrayan Project build without any plan inside a water body (beel) was inundated by flood water recently. Even after a week of flooding, water and mud of some 50 houses have not yet been dried up. Several hundred residents of those houses were living in a non-hygienic condition and were moving through muddy roads.
It is learnt, being frustrated with such poor and dilapidated conditions, some sixty families of the project have left the housing project area. As a result, among 220 families only 160 families are now living somehow at the project site.
Residents living at the project site informed places of tin roofs of the houses have been torn apart creating holes through which rainwater entered into the rooms. As a result, with water inside and out, the residents used to spend a sort of confined life inside the houses. Specially, during the rainy season, those houses are completely unfit for use. Some of the residents, however, were trying to mend the roof-holes by using polythene, bricks, wood and soil somehow. They further said, the residents of the project met several times with the concerned officials to resolve the problems but no action was so far taken to repair the houses. They were demanding to repair the houses soon.
Raoshan, Moklesar, Iman Sarder and Goher Ali of the Ashrayan Project informed,' Rain water entered through the tattered roofs of the houses drenching beds and clothes. Nuts and screws of the rooms have been loosened, cement pillars supporting the houses were falling apart and the rooms shake violently during storm. During rainy season, the houses are inundated in water.'
Bablu Ali, General Secretary of the Ashrayan Project informed, more than 500 people of 160 families used to live at this Ashrayan Project. All the houses of the project are now unfit to live in. During the recent weeklong rainfall, 180 houses among 22o were inaundated and three ponds were over flooded. Residents of the houses were spending their days in utter misery due to absence of any government assistance or relief of the affected people. Many families of the Ashrayan Project have left their homesteads due to various problems, he mentioned.
Abdul Karim, local UP member informed, the UP chairman and higher authorities have been informed of the flooding of the project areas.
Belal Uddin, UP Chairman informed the Ashrayan Project inundated in the rainwater and most of houses have become unfit for living. He said, he has informed the higher authorities including the local Member of Parliament to resolve problems of residents of Ashrayan Project. Multan Hossain, Upazila Project Implementation officer informed, the government has nothing to do with the houses of Ashrayan Project. The government has made those houses and provided homeless people there and afterwards, the residents of those houses will repair and maintain those houses themselves.
Mijanur Rahman, Upazila Nirbahi Officer of Mohadevpur informed, he was awared of flooding of the Asrayan Project. He said, he has informed the incident to the Deputy Commissioner of Naogaon who has assured to take necessary action in this connection.
