Eight Shantinibas Built at a Cost of Tk 82 Crore, Yet Not a Single Elderly Person Has Moved In
Each facility, known as a Shantinibas, is equipped with the basic furniture and amenities needed for elderly residents.
Eight purpose-built facilities have been constructed in eight cities across Bangladesh to provide shelter for elderly people who are abandoned, destitute or without anyone to care for them.
Each facility, known as a Shantinibas, is equipped with the basic furniture and amenities needed for elderly residents. Yet not a single person is living in any of them.
Most of the buildings have been lying neglected for nearly three years. Dust has accumulated on furniture inside the facilities, while moss has grown on the walls in some places.
Of the eight districts where Shantinibas facilities have been built, four—Gopalganj, Lalmonirhat, Sunamganj and Noakhali—are designated exclusively for women. The other four, in Mymensingh, Rajshahi, Khulna and Barishal, are intended for men.
Each facility has accommodation for 25 people.
The eight Shantinibas buildings were constructed at a total cost of Tk 82 crore.
According to information published on the website of the Department of Social Services, the Shantinibas programme was introduced to provide safe accommodation for abandoned, unclaimed, destitute and neglected people aged over 60.
Government children’s homes were selected as the locations for the facilities. The idea was that elderly residents would live alongside children, allowing the children to grow up in a more family-like environment while also enabling the authorities to improve the elderly residents’ quality of life and ensure their care and security.
Project launched in 2020
The project to build eight Shantinibas facilities for elderly people was launched in July 2020.
According to a close monitoring report by the Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED) of the Ministry of Planning, the original estimated cost of the project was Tk 73.98 crore. Construction was scheduled to be completed by June 2022.
However, delays caused by various factors led to an extension of the project deadline until June 2023. At the same time, the revised estimated cost rose to Tk 82.69 crore.
The eight Shantinibas facilities were officially inaugurated simultaneously on 14 November 2023.
Despite the investment and the formal opening, the facilities have remained largely unused.
Growing number of elderly people
The latest Population and Housing Census 2022 found that Bangladesh has 15,326,719 people aged over 60.
They account for 9.28% of the country’s total population, up from 7.47% in the 2011 census.
As life expectancy increases, the number of elderly people in Bangladesh is also growing.
Dhaka division has the country’s largest elderly population, with 3,606,662 people aged over 60, according to divisional census data.
Chattogram division ranks second, with 2,795,679 elderly people.
The figures for the other divisions are:
- Rajshahi: 2,069,169
- Khulna: 1,869,612
- Rangpur: 1,781,789
- Mymensingh: 1,274,111
- Barishal: 997,183
- Sylhet: 914,739
The growing elderly population highlights the increasing need for appropriate care and social support. Yet despite spending more than Tk 82 crore to create dedicated accommodation, none of the eight Shantinibas facilities has yet become a home for the people they were built to serve.