Sustainable Housing for Garments Sector Worker
It is far away to own a house of his own for a day laborer, even he cannot manage to have a shelter to dwell in a slum in Dhaka. At last, though luckily he manages to get a room in a thatched house, he is to live by pressing together with a number of people. Nonetheless, what he pays monthly to live in a slum, with the same amount of money he can be the owner of a flat after a few years. Carrying out research on several slums in Dhaka City, Bangladesh University Urban Lab brings the dream before the laborers. And Mohammadi Group, with the financial support from Bangladesh Bank, makes their dream true. By purchasing land by Mirzapur Road at Dogri area in Gazipur, construction work of new flats for garments workers has already been in process under the “Subarna Prangon” project.
Above information was disseminated in a roundtable talk organized jointly by Bangladesh University and the Daily Star on July 31, 2016 (Sunday) at capital’s Daily Star Centre.
The visionary of this initiative for the wellbeing of the labors is the Chairman, BoT, Bangladesh University (BU), Quazi Jamil Azher along with wife of Mayor Annisul Huq, Rubana Huq and Member of BoT, BU Arch. Iqbal Habib.
Ms. Rubana Huq in the roundtable says, design of this project has been done on the experience gained by physical visit to a number of slums in Dhaka Metropolis. Workers themselves have contributed to prepare this design. Play ground, roads, etc. will be constructed after their desire. To give a touch to elevated life for the rootless people this sort of initiative has been taken, she added.
1.7 acres of land has already been purchased and the estimated cost of this project stands at 31.61 crore. Bangladesh Bank disburses this loan at a nominal rate on installment.
Arch. Iqbal Habib informs the roundtable that a worker is to pay only tk. 2,000/- for a month to live in the dormitory. If he wants to live with his family members then he will have to pay tk. 6,800/- monthly. In this way, after 8-10 years that flat will be of his own.
President BGMEA , Mr. Mahmud Hasan Khan (Babu); Professor IBA, Dhaka University and Director, Pride Group Mr. Md. Abdul Momen; Deputy Governor, Bangladesh Bank, Shitangshu Kumar Sur Chowdhury; Executive Director, Policy Research Institute, Dr. Ahsan H. Monsur; Vice President, REHAB, Liakot Ali Chowdhury; Arch. Khaled Ashraf, Research Director BIDS, Mr. Binayak Sen; Trade Union Leader, Mr. Babul Akter, President, Institute of Architects Mr. Abu M. Sayed; General Secretary, Bangladesh Institute of Planners, Mr. Akhter Mahmud were present in the round table among others.
Quazi Jamil Azher extends his thanks to all concerned for attending the round table. He says, ‘we have done this sort of works earlier and we have much more plannings to do the similar works.’ They have taken this task to set the labors free from their ignoble living, he added.