The government has formed Building Construction (BC) Committees at the district and upazila levels to approve building plans, supervise construction works and ensure structural safety in areas outside the jurisdiction of development authorities, city corporations and municipalities.
The Ministry of Housing and Public Works issued a gazette notification in this regard on Thursday under Section 11 of the Bangladesh Building Regulatory Authority Act, 2026.
The committees will oversee the approval of designs for high-rise buildings, ensure quality control at every stage of construction and promote transparency and accountability in construction activities across areas beyond the coverage of development authorities, city corporations and municipalities.
According to the notification, the District Commissioner (DC) will serve as chairman of the district-level committee. Other members will include the Superintendent of Police, Chief Executive Officer of the Zila Parishad, Executive Engineer of the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED), the Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) concerned, the municipality mayor, and representatives from the Department of Architecture and the Urban Development Directorate. The Executive Engineer of the Public Works Department (PWD) will act as the member secretary.
At the upazila level, the UNO will chair the committee. Members will include the Officer-in-Charge (OC) of the local police station, union parishad chairmen, Assistant Commissioner (Land), a municipal representative where applicable, a representative from the Fire Service and Civil Defence, and a sub-assistant engineer of the PWD. The Upazila Engineer of LGED will serve as member secretary.
The committees' responsibilities include approving architectural, structural, electrical, mechanical and plumbing designs; verifying the load-bearing capacity of buildings; ensuring compliance with the Bangladesh National Building Code (BNBC)-2020; and considering setback requirements, maximum ground coverage (MGC), floor area ratio (FAR), fire safety and energy efficiency standards.
The notification said that if any deviation from approved plans is found, the committees will have the authority to suspend construction work, cancel approvals and order the demolition of unauthorized portions of buildings. Legal action may also be taken through mobile courts under the direction of the district administration.
The committees will also be empowered to issue occupancy certificates where necessary.
The gazette further states that the committees must hold at least one meeting every month and submit activity reports to the Ministry of Housing and Public Works every three months. They may also form expert panels and make decisions based on expert recommendations when required.
Under the new system, upazila-level committees will be authorised to approve building designs for structures up to seven storeys, while approval authority for buildings exceeding seven storeys will rest with the district-level committees.