Secretariat to Be Relocated at a Cost of Tk 3,500 Crore on Tarique Rahman’s Orders!

Staff Reporter

On the orders of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, the government is planning to shift the Secretariat from Abdul Gani Road in Dhaka to Sher-e-Bangla Nagar. At the same time, there is a plan to shift the Lower Court in Old Dhaka to the current premises of the Secretariat.

Earlier, a policy decision on the relocation of the secretariat was taken at a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Wednesday.

The proposed project has been estimated to cost Tk 3,409.44 crore. However, the project has not yet received final approval. The government aims to inaugurate the construction work by December after completing all preparations.

Sources said that after the Prime Minister’s directive, activities have been intensified to implement the plan to move the secretariat. For this purpose, work is underway to prepare a development project proposal (DPP). The Public Works Department has also prepared a design by determining where the proposed buildings will be located.

Md. Khalequzzaman Chowdhury, Chief Engineer of the Department of Housing and Public Works, told the media that there are instructions from the Prime Minister to relocate the secretariat. Accordingly, the work of implementing the project is being taken forward quickly.

The Prime Minister has already seen the project design and has made various suggestions in this regard. Taking them into consideration, work is progressing.

The people concerned said that the project implementation period has been set from November this year to December 2029. The Public Works Department has prepared a layout by determining the locations of the buildings.

The Ministry of Housing and Public Works has taken the initiative to include the project in the list of unauthorized new projects of the Annual Development Program (ADP) for the fiscal year 2026-27. The Public Works Department has submitted the necessary information to the ministry for this.

According to the plan, the project will be taken up at the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) meeting. If approved there, the formal process to start construction will proceed. The goal is to lay the foundation stone next December.

However, there is uncertainty among the officials concerned about whether it will be possible to complete all preparations within the stipulated time.

The Department of Architecture is responsible for designing the new secretariat complex.

According to the officials concerned, three alternative designs have been presented to the Prime Minister. If the project is approved, there are plans to implement the construction work through the Public Works Department.

The initial plan calls for the relocation of several ministries to new locations within three years in the first phase. However, it may take more time to complete the entire process of constructing all the buildings, establishing the necessary infrastructure, and transferring official activities.

The construction of the new secretariat will bring major changes to the administrative infrastructure of the capital. However, the cost, design and implementation plan of the project have not yet received final approval.