Cabinet approves Secretariat relocation to Agargaon

The Cabinet on Sunday (October 18) approved a proposal to relocate the Bangladesh Secretariat from Abdul Gani Road to the former trade fair ground in Agargaon, Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, Dhaka, and construct a new administrative complex, while approving the renaming of the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs as the Ministry of Women and Children.

The decisions were taken at the 25th Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman at the Bangladesh Secretariat. The Cabinet also approved the draft Special Solar Power Installation Ordinance, 2026, and Bangladesh's accession to the Rotterdam Convention on the international trade of hazardous chemicals and pesticides.

According to the Cabinet decision, the proposed Secretariat complex will be built on approximately 31.58 acres of land and comprise 14 twelve-storey buildings, each with three basement levels. The complex will provide around 3.316 million square feet of office space and parking facilities for 3,800 vehicles, alongside a mosque, two multipurpose halls, a cafeteria and a post office.

Around 30 per cent of the project area will be allocated for greenery and water bodies, according to the proposal.

The government cited inadequate workspace, insufficient facilities and safety concerns at the existing Secretariat as reasons for the relocation. Eight of the 13 buildings at the current complex were constructed before independence and are not earthquake-resistant, according to the Cabinet decision.

The existing Secretariat has approximately 1.876 million square feet of office space, while more than one million square feet of additional space is required to meet growing demand. The proposed complex is intended to address the shortage and improve the working environment for government officials and employees.

Meanwhile, the Cabinet approved the draft Special Solar Power Installation Ordinance, 2026, to establish a regulatory framework for investment, electricity pricing and maintenance of rooftop solar installations. The government aims to install 3,000 to 4,000 megawatts of rooftop solar power capacity before next summer.

The ordinance will be finalised following vetting by the Legislative and Parliamentary Affairs Division.

The Cabinet also approved Bangladesh's accession to the Rotterdam Convention, which governs international trade in certain hazardous chemicals and pesticides. 

Accession is expected to facilitate technical assistance, information exchange, international cooperation and potential access to foreign financing for chemical management and the regulation of imports and exports.

-AH