Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina received the registered deed of the historic house from the present owners at her official residence Ganobhaban on Sunday.

The government procured the palace built on 22 acres of land in Old Dhaka under the ‘Public Procurement Law’ at a cost of Tk 331.70 crore.

Sheikh Hasina handed over a cheque to the owners against the price of the historic house from where Awami League started its journey in 1949.

Besides, she handed over another registered deed for a one-storey building along with 20 kathas of land at Gulshan in the city to the owners of the Rose Garden as they purchased it from the government.

The Cabinet Committee on Public Purchase at a meeting on August 8 last with Finance Minister AMA Muhith in the chair approved a proposal to purchase the Rose Garden mansion.

Speaking on the occasion, the Prime Minister said the historic Rose Garden mansion will be turned into a museum depicting the history of Old Dhaka.

She said the palace has a historic value. “Awami League started its journey on June 23, 1949. Under the leadership of this party, Bangladesh achieved its independence in 1971,” she said.

Besides, such a historic establishment should not be ruined, Sheikh Hasina added.

She said the city museum will be shifted to the Rose Garden from the Nagar Bhaban.

The Prime Minister asked the authorities concerned to renovate the building keeping the original structure unchanged.

Later, the Prime Minister handed over the house to the Cultural Affairs Ministry at a token price of Tk 1,001. Cultural Affairs Minister Asaduzzaman Noor received the deed of the house.

Situated on KM Das Lane in Tikatuli of Old Dhaka, the Rose Garden mansion was built in 1931 by Hrishikesh Das, a rich businessman.

Housing and Public Works Minister Engineer Mosharraf Hossain, PMO Secretary Sajjadul Hassan, Housing and Public Works Secretary Shahid Ullah Khandaker and Cultural Affairs Secretary Nasir Uddin Ahmed were, among others, present.