BSS, Rajshahi
More than 10,000 slum dwellers, who haven’t electricity facilities, are going to avail the privileges of solar street light in the city for elevating their living and livelihood condition.
Officials concerned revealed this while installing a solar street light in Shawtalpara area in the city today (Thursday). “We will install 76 solar street lights at different disadvantaged communities, where power supply is yet to reach, by spending Taka 60 lakh in phases,” Ershadul Haque, Town Manager of Urban Partnership for Poverty Reduction Project (UPPRP), has said. He says more than 10,000 underprivileged households will get the lunar light facilities on completion of the installation works, which will supplement the promotional activities of more eco-friendly infrastructures for the slum communities. The initiative, no doubt, will contribute to lessening pressure on using fossil fuel to some extent.
Under its Settlement Improvement Fund component, UPPRP has been providing money and other technical support to implement the programme for improving livelihood condition of the slum people. Around 2,200 slum dwellers will get improved housing facilities under the settlement improvement fund component. Local Government Engineering Department has been implementing the project in the city with financial support from UNDP in association with UKaid and UNHabitat.
The seven-year programme is being implemented with the main thrust of uplifting the living and livelihood condition of around two lakh poor and extreme poor people, especially women and girls, through multifarious anti-poverty interventions in the city. Sariful Islam Pocha, a ward councilor of Rajshahi City Corporation, Akhlas uddin, settlement improvement expert of UPPRP, community organizers, all cluster and CDC leaders and community people were present on the occasion.
