PHP, POSCO build 11 more houses for poor in Subarnachar

South Korean firm POSCO International, in collaboration with PHP Family’s Managing Director Mohammad Iqbal Hossain, has built 11 more houses for the poor living in Subarnachar upazila of the Noakhali district.

The houses will be handed over very soon. The initiative was made possible by the efforts of Mohammad Iqbal Hossain, read a press release on Saturday. Previously, five houses were built and handed over to the residents of Subarnachar.

“The cost of building each house was Tk 4.70 lakh. The vice president of POSCO and I jointly visited the area and we were disappointed to see the plight of the people there,” Iqbal said.

“It is really challenging for the government alone to ensure housing for the poor across the country. So, we have taken this initiative to help the government,” he added.

Iqbal Hussain also said that PHP Family Chairman Sufi Mohammed Mizanur Rahman loves to serve the needy people of society. Therefore, the houses are being built in continuation of his humanitarian spirit.

“In this way, houses will be made for all the residents of the Char gradually. We are fortunate and happy to be able to do something for the poor people of Char.”

Jyotsna Ara Begum, 55, a resident of Noakhali’s Subarnachar upazila, who got her dream house from POSCO-PHP, told the reporter, “We never dreamed that we would ever get a house. But that dream has become a reality for the POSCO-PHP family. Now I am happy with my children.”

Kamal Hossain, 35, whose house was destroyed in a natural disaster, thanked PHP and POSCO for giving him a new house.

POSCO-PHP family is building 600 square feet houses made of iron, concrete and coloured corrugated sheets.

Each of the three-room houses has two bedrooms, a sitting room in the middle, a balcony in the front, and a bathroom. There is a kitchen outside. The houses are being built selectively for those families who own a piece of land but cannot afford to build their own house.

Coloured corrugated metal sheets manufactured by the PHP family is used in the construction of the houses, ensuring quality and durability.