PM vows safe, affordable housing for all

 
Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Monday said the government is working to ensure safe, affordable and sustainable housing for all citizens while promoting planned and decentralised urban development across the country.

“Livable, affordable, environmentally friendly and safe housing with basic services for all, or universal housing, is a fundamental constitutional right of citizens. The government is firmly committed to ensuring and safeguarding this right,” he said.

The prime minister was speaking at a discussion marking World Habitat Day 2026 at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre. The Ministry of Housing and Public Works organised the programme under the theme “Universal Housing, Sustainable Urbanisation”.

Tarique said planned urbanisation and housing for low- and lower-middle-income people are among the government’s major electoral commitments. The government is preparing master plans for city corporations and districts to promote planned development.

He said housing should not be viewed merely as a physical structure, but as a complete living environment with safe drinking water, reliable electricity, sanitation, public transport, roads, education, healthcare, employment and a safe environment.

The prime minister acknowledged that ensuring such housing is more challenging in densely populated Bangladesh than in developed countries. But he said the country must overcome these challenges to keep pace with the rest of the world.

Tarique said growing population pressure has made Dhaka overpopulated, while other major cities are also facing similar challenges.

To reduce pressure on urban centres, the government is working to improve fast, affordable and safe connectivity between Dhaka, other cities and the rest of the country. It is also improving civic amenities in rural areas so that people can access better facilities outside cities.

He said development had previously remained concentrated around Dhaka and a few major cities. The government now wants balanced and decentralised urban and regional development across the country.

The Housing and Public Works Ministry is working on a nationwide planning initiative and a plan to develop secondary townships around Dhaka, he said.

Tarique said development authorities have already been established in Sylhet, Mymensingh, Barishal, Cumilla, Rangpur and Narayanganj to facilitate planned urbanisation.

He expressed hope that the initiatives would help Bangladesh achieve Sustainable Development Goal 11 on inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable cities and communities.

The prime minister said environmental protection is a major consideration in the government’s housing and urban development plans. The government has set a target of planting 250 million trees across the country over the next five years.

He also stressed effective waste management in Dhaka and other city corporations and districts, saying rapid urbanisation and population growth had made it increasingly important.

Tarique said the government alone could not address the housing crisis and called for coordinated participation by entrepreneurs and other stakeholders in the housing sector. He said private-sector stakeholders could help provide affordable, environmentally friendly and safe housing with basic services.

The government is also working on block-based housing schemes, area-based parks and playgrounds, and designated industrial zones as part of its broader urban planning efforts, he said.

The prime minister expressed confidence that the government would gradually implement its plans and make safe housing for all a reality.