Ashrayan-2: A Tk 11,142 cr project gone wrong

The ousted Awami League government launched the Tk 11,142 crore Ashrayan-2 project to rehabilitate nearly 500,000 homeless families across Bangladesh, but the massive initiative has now come to virtually nothing.

Under the project, launched in 2021 on the occasion of the “Mujib Year,” more than 2,50,000 houses were constructed. Beneficiary families received those houses along with two decimals of land.

Right from the start of the four-phase project, questions were raised regarding construction quality, beneficiary selection, and expenditure. After handing over houses to 69,904 families in the first phase on 23 January 2021, reports and images of houses collapsing and developing cracks in various districts surfaced in the media within a few months.

At that time, a government probe committee was formed.

For the project implemented under the Prime Minister’s Office, the construction cost for each house was fixed at Tk 1,71,000 in the first phase. It was increased to Tk 1,90,000 in the second phase, Tk 2,64,500 in the third phase, and rose to Tk 3,05,000 in the fourth phase.

In the first stage, the approved cost of the project was over Tk 4,840 crore. Following the fourth revision on 4 January 2022, the cost stood at Tk 11,142 crore. That means the cost increased by Tk 6,316 crore. The project tenure was also extended until June 2023.

But the project work was not completed within that timeframe. Following the political downfall on 5 August 2024, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) initiated an investigation into allegations of irregularities in the project. Later, the interim government canceled the project.

Deserted Ashrayan

From 3 to 8 September, Agamir Somoy collected field-level information from Ashrayan projects across 40 upazilas in 18 districts. Upon verifying data on 1,414 houses in these areas, 775 houses were found vacant, locked, or abandoned. Based on this sample calculation, the vacancy rate stands at 54.81 percent.

In the field investigation, the highest vacancy was found in Bhogaipara, Sherpur. Locks were seen on the 30 houses here. Locals said the residents locked their houses and left for Dhaka and other places in search of work.

In Chhatrakanda of Bauphal, Patuakhali, 21 out of 22 houses are abandoned. Locals are using these houses as cattle sheds and for storing straw. In the Charatra Khasbazar Ashrayan project of Naria, Shariatpur, 90 out of 100 houses are vacant. Due to a lack of basic amenities and extreme communication bottlenecks, only three families live there.

Samshuddin Bapari, a member of Charatra Union Parishad, told Agamir Somoy, “Because it has been lying vacant for a long time, an eerie atmosphere now prevails throughout the project. Corrugated tin sheets from the roofs, doors, windows, and electrical equipment of most houses have been stolen. There is no one to maintain it.”

However, amidst all this chaos, the sole exception is Kaptai, Rangamati. 110 houses were constructed in the five unions. All the allocated families are living in these houses. However, they are suffering from issues regarding safe drinking water, roads, and drainage systems.

Faulty construction

Field visits revealed that the Ashrayan houses became unfit for living shortly after being handed over. In the houses built in Dhankora Union of Gangni, Meherpur, low-quality bricks and brick chips were used, causing them to bend and come to the verge of collapse.

The house of Dilip Chandra in Jotal Mathai village of Chamrul Union under Dupchanchia, Bogura is located beside the Union Health and Family Welfare Center. In 2025, a banyan tree collapsed and destroyed the house. Dilip has been living a miserable life with his family in an adjacent tin shed. Government officials visited and provided only assurances.

Upazila Project Implementation Officer Abdul Based Khondokar said, “All documents were destroyed when the office was burned down during the July uprising. For that reason, the exact statistics of the Ashrayan project are not known. This was a project of the previous government’s tenure. There is no government allocation here.”

Irregularities and grabbed by the well-off

Evidence has been found of major irregularities in house allocations under the Ashrayan project and the deprivation of landless people. Allegations exist that under the influence of local Awami League leaders at the time, houses were allocated to solvent individuals and owners of brick-built houses.

Abul Kashem, former president of the association formed with residents of Char Sonapota Ashrayan project in Debiganj, Panchagarh, said, “A person named Lutfar Miah received a house despite owning a brick-built house.”

In Putimari project of Paikgasa, Khulna, allegations have surfaced that nearly 30 out of 90 houses were sold for Tk 30,000-1,00,000. Paikgasa Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Wasiuzzaman Chowdhury said, “There is no scope to sell government-allocated houses. If evidence is found during investigation, legal action will be taken.”

Sanctuary for crime

These Ashrayan projects, which are deserted or mostly lying vacant, have now turned into sanctuaries for drug dealers, gamblers, and criminals. Houses constructed in uninhabited areas of Gopalnagar and Bhatpara in Gangni, Meherpur, have now become spots for illegal activities and drug hangouts.

Meherpur District Commissioner Shilpi Rani Roy said vacant houses will be allocated to genuinely landless people through an investigation committee. District Superintendent of Police has been informed regarding drug and criminal activities.  

In three Ashrayan projects in Char Syedpur, Narayanganj, 156 families were given houses. But as the nuisance of drug addicts and thieves increased, residents are suffering from insecurity with their families.

However, Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) SM Fayezuddin added that a team has been tasked with identifying the problems in the area through field inspection.

Lack of essential amenities

The Lalua Bagali Ashrayan project in Koyra, Khulna was built on a river char. Even after three years have passed, no electricity connection has been provided to this project. All four tube-wells installed are out of order. Victims allege that in many cases, feasibility studies or proper planning were not conducted before constructing the Ashrayan projects.

Many project areas were built on isolated, remote chars or low-lying areas cut off from the mainland or markets. The Mandargaon and Noagaon Ashrayan projects in Monohargonj, Cumilla submerge under water with slight rainfall because they were built in low-lying, flood-prone areas. Due to the absence of drainage systems, filthy water remains accumulated for days on end.

In Chandbaria Guchhagram of Shajahanpur, Bogura, although 11 families reside in 15 houses, there is a severe water crisis. Out of three tube-wells, one is broken and one yields high iron content, leaving a single tube-well as the sole resource for 11 families.

Ending in assurances or a solution?

According to the policy of the Ashrayan-2 project, allocated houses or land cannot be sold, rented out, or transferred. If such evidence is found, there is a provision to cancel the allocation.

Field administration officials in Chandpur, Gazipur, Jamalpur, Meherpur, Pabna, and Nilphamari told Agamir Somoy that lists of vacant and illegal/grabbed houses are being prepared. If proof of selling or occupying houses in violation of policies is found, initiatives will be taken to cancel allocations and redistribute them to genuinely landless families.

Disaster management expert Gawhar Nayeem Wara told Agamir Somoy, “Right from the beginning, this was largely a crash program. Officials were busier taking beautiful photos of the houses to showcase them rather than focusing on construction quality. Before construction, it was essential to consider where people’s livelihoods exist, how communication is, and whether water and electricity facilities are available.

“But that was not taken into account. Where there are no livelihood opportunities, if houses are built simply because khas (government-owned) or abandoned land was available, people will not stay there.”

He added that broken houses must be rebuilt, repairable houses must be renovated, vacant houses must be redistributed, and the list of beneficiaries must be verified anew. Local government institutions must be involved in decision-making and supervision to ensure employment opportunities, transportation/communication, and basic services.