PM’s housing gift makes transgender people dignified in Rajshahi

Some members of transgender community have got social dignity after driving out their long-lasting negligence and depri-vation in Rajshahi district.

Housing gifts from Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina have established their social dignity side by side with ensuring their perma-nent address for the first time of their respective lives.

Five of the beneficiaries are: Rubel Hossain alias Rubina, 34, of Harupuur village, Samrat alias Sumi Khatun, 40, of Bargachhi village, Asad Ali alias Sathi Khatun, 32, of Puthiapara village, Sagar Ali alias Sagarika, 37, of Duary village and Dhiren Sarker alias Nadi Khatun, 29.

Residents under Paba upazila, all of them are now delighted and happy as they celebrated the Eid festival in their own house for the first time in life early this week.

They were given the houses with special design of earthquake resilient and portable in the fourth phase of Ashrayan-2 pro-ject to mark the Mujibbarsha last month thanks to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for the benevolent works.

There are vacant places for cultivating vegetables and other crops in the project area. The rehabilitated people will get scope of improving their living and livelihood condition through homestead gardening and rearing cattle, goat and poultry birds.

Rubina, one of the beneficiaries, said she had to live in a roadside thatched house before getting the new one. She had to suffer a lot due to the lack of a house. But, the worst situation has changed now.

“I never thought that I would be an owner of a brick-built house,” she said with a smiling face, adding that the house gave her a new life expressing deep gratitude to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for her benevolent initiative.

Another beneficiary Sumi Khatun said she has attained permanent address with the noble gesture of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

“The PM’s housing gift has established our social dignity side by side with boosting the level of confidence as a whole,” she added.

Golam Mostofa alias Mohona Khatun, 43, President of Diner Alo Hijra Sangstha, expressed her deep gratitude to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for her generosity towards arranging permanent addresses for transgender people.

Assistant Commissioner (Land) Abhijit Sarker said there was a big challenge in the field of building houses for transgender people but the task has been successful through facing the challenges.

Priority was given to widows, divorcees, baggers, persons with disability, ethnic minorities and third gender side by side with other distressed people in terms of scrutinizing beneficiaries for their proper rehabilitation.

Deputy Commissioner Shamim Ahmed said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has declared the Rajshahi district as freed from landless and homeless people by handing over homes to 4,321 families.

In the fourth phase, houses were allocated to 8,314 families in all eight districts under Rajshahi division.

Commissioner of Rajshahi division GSM Jafaruallah said there were 31,930 homeless and landless families in ‘KA’ class in the division. Already, 21,762 of those were rehabilitated in the first, second and third phases.

A total of three districts-- Rajshahi, Chapainwabganj and Joypurhat-- and 32 upazilas were declared as freed of landless and homeless people in the division taking the number to 42, out of 67, he added.