The Dhaka district administration has allocated nearly one acre of khas land for 40 families of the Bede community in Dhaka’s Dhamrai, offering them a chance at permanent homes after decades without secure land.
The development came 17 days after Deputy Commissioner and District Magistrate Farida Khanom visited the Bede settlement in Rupnagar, Dhamrai, on August 20 and listened to residents’ concerns about housing, livelihoods, and their children’s future.
At a programme held at her office today, the DC also handed over sewing machines to 25 women from the community. Officials said the women had applied through the administration’s “Hello DC” initiative, seeking opportunities to earn an income and become financially self-reliant.
“The Bede community is also a part of society,” Farida said, adding that the administration was working to provide permanent homes, employment opportunities and better education for their children so they could join the mainstream.
“No marginalised community can be left out of development. People should not only be given assistance. We have to create opportunities so that they can change their own lives,” she added.
The DC expressed hope that the women would become self-reliant through self-employment and that their families would gain financial stability.
Members of the Bede community said they have been living in the Rupnagar area under Kulla Union of Dhamrai upazila for around 30 years.
For most families, however, three decades of living there have not translated into a permanent address, as they have never owned land or had secure housing.