Decision to relocate Secretariat approved by cabinet
Prime Minister Tarique Rahman chairs a cabinet meeting on Sunday in the city. Photo: PID.
A proposal to relocate the Bangladesh Secretariat to the old trade fair grounds in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar in the capital has been approved by the Cabinet.
Various ministries will begin operations at the new location in 2029. The Secretariat is currently located on Abdul Gani Road in old Paltan. In addition, a decision has been made to rename the Ministry of Women (Mohila) and Children Affairs as the "Ministry of Women (Naree) and Children Affairs."
The approval was given at a Cabinet meeting held on Sunday afternoon in the Cabinet Division meeting room at the Secretariat, presided over by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.
After the Cabinet meeting, Cabinet Secretary Dr. Nasimul Gani briefed journalists on these matters at the conference room of the Department of Information.
Recently, at a meeting chaired by the Prime Minister, the government made a policy decision to relocate the Secretariat. Senior officials from the Ministry of Public Works, the Public Works Department, and the Department of Architecture were present at that meeting held at the Prime Minister's Office. The very next day, the Ministry of Public Works sent a letter to the Planning Commission to include a project for relocating the Secretariat in the Annual Development Programme (ADP).
The Cabinet summary said the current location of the Bangladesh Secretariat has a total of 13 buildings on 17.57 acres of land. Among them, 8 buildings were constructed in the pre-independence period. Secretariat buildings Old 1 and 2, 3, and 8 were built between 1937 and 1939, and Building 5 was built in 1947, so they were not constructed to be earthquake-resistant. As Dhaka city is located in an earthquake-prone area, it is risky to conduct the activities of important ministries/divisions of the government in those structures.
In addition, due to insufficient usable space for officers and employees in the buildings, the normal work environment is being disrupted. Due to the lack of adequate wash blocks, it is not possible to maintain a healthy work environment for officers and employees. The total office space in the Secretariat is about 18.76 lakh square feet. More than about 10 lakh square feet of additional office space is needed to meet the additional office space demand of various ministries and to accommodate various ministries/divisions located outside the Secretariat compound.
In light of the decision of the ECNEC meeting on the matter, the Department of Architecture prepared a conceptual architectural design for establishing the Bangladesh Secretariat at the old trade fair grounds in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, Dhaka, in accordance with Louis I. Kahn's master plan.
According to the prepared design, 14 12-story buildings (a mosque, two multipurpose halls with a capacity of 350 people, a cafeteria, a post office, etc.) with a total space of about 33.16 lakh square feet, including 3 basements (parking for 3,800 cars, including 200 surface parking spaces), will be constructed on 31.58 acres of land at the old trade fair grounds in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar. About 30% of the project area has been allocated for greenery and water reservoirs.
Nasimul Gani further said the Cabinet has given policy and final approval to the draft of the Special Solar Power Installation Ordinance, 2026. The Cabinet summary said that to reduce dependence on import-dependent fossil fuels, reduce the amount of subsidies in the power sector, ensure greater energy security, and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, the Power Division has prepared the "National Renewable Energy Development Strategy 2026-2030."
