United News of Bangladesh

The Cabinet has approved in principle a proposal to relocate the Bangladesh Secretariat from Abdul Gani Road to Sher-e-Bangla Nagar in the capital, with the government targeting to begin office operations at the new site by 2029. The approval was given at a Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman at the Secretariat on Sunday afternoon. Cabinet Secretary Nasimul Ghani disclosed the decision at a press briefing following the meeting. The new Secretariat will be established at the former site of the Dhaka International Trade Fair at  Sher-e-Bangla Nagar. Ghani said the government is moving ahead with the plan to ensure that offices could begin operating at the new location by 2029. The government earlier took a policy decision to relocate the Secretariat at a meeting chaired by the Prime Minister, said the cabinet secretary. According to the Cabinet Division, the existing Secretariat occupies 17.57 acres and has 13 buildings, eight of which were constructed before Bangladesh's independence. Four buildings were built between 1937 and 1939, while another was constructed in 1947. Since Dhaka city is located in an earthquake-prone area, it is risky to conduct the operations of key government ministries and departments in these facilities. It also mentioned inadequate office space for officials and employees, insufficient toilet facilities and overcrowding in the buildings as obstacles to maintaining a healthy and conducive working environment. The existing Secretariat has around 1.876 million square feet of office space. However, an additional 1 million square feet or more is needed to meet the demand for extra space from different ministries and accommodate ministries and divisions currently operating outside the Secretariat compound. Following a decision at a meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC), the Department of Architecture prepared a conceptual architectural design for the new Secretariat at the former trade fair grounds in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, in line with Louis I. Kahn's master plan for the area. Under the proposed design, 14 12-storey buildings with three basement levels will be constructed on around 31.58 acres of land, providing approximately 3.316 million square feet of space. The complex will have parking facilities for 3,800 vehicles, including 200 above-ground parking spaces, a mosque, two multipurpose halls with a capacity of 350 people each, a cafeteria and a post office. Around 30 percent of the project area will be allocated to greenery and water bodies.