Satkania Ashrayan Homes for Landless, Homeless Locked as Units Are Illegally Rented, Sold

Several irregularities and allegations have emerged over houses allocated to landless and homeless people under the Ashrayan Project in Satkania, Chattogram. Many of the 88 government-built houses are reportedly unoccupied. Some remain locked, while others have allegedly been rented out or sold at high prices. Local residents have called for the houses to be reallocated to genuinely landless people.

According to the upazila administration, there are 48 Ashrayan Project houses in Eochia Union, 13 in Madarsha Union and 27 in Khodd Keochia area of Chadaha Union. Of the 13 houses in Madarsha Union, two were found locked. In another case, an allocated beneficiary has reportedly rented out the house and moved elsewhere. One resident claimed that he bought a house for Tk 220,000 around three months ago and has been living there since.

In Eochia, 30 of the 48 houses are occupied, while 18 regularly remain vacant. Electricity meters have also reportedly been removed from some of the houses. Local residents allege that some people who already own houses and land obtained the government houses by using their influence but do not live there and instead rent them out.

A similar situation has been reported in Khodd Keochia of Chadaha. Of the 27 houses there, only three families have reportedly been living there regularly since the project began. Local residents said the absence of the actual beneficiaries is preventing them from receiving various government assistance and support. There are also allegations that a government house in the area was sold for Tk 170,000 as recently as a month ago.

Affected residents and locals said selling or renting out government-provided houses is illegal. They called on the administration to investigate the allegations, cancel false or improper allocations and hand over the houses to genuinely landless and disadvantaged people.

Satkania Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Rajib Das Purkayastha said the administration had learned that some beneficiaries of Ashrayan Project houses were not living in them and had instead rented them out or sold them. He said, “We have already discussed the matter with the higher authorities. A committee will be formed to investigate the situation on the ground, and legal action will be taken against those involved as soon as possible.”