A Tk649 crore proposal to construct a 21-storey building at the Bangladesh Secretariat has been rejected at Monday’s meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC), despite the building being planned to meet 42% of the Secretariat’s rising space demand.
Planning Ministry officials said the proposal was turned down because newly constructed buildings inside the compound have not eased the space crisis and have instead added to congestion and parking pressure.
Project documents show the Secretariat currently has around 1 million square feet of office space.
With the number of officers and staff increasing—and public representatives, foreign delegates, development partners, businesspeople and citizens visiting daily—the existing facilities can no longer cope.
The estimated requirement stands at an additional 680,000 square feet. The proposed tower, featuring four basement floors for parking, was designed to add 287,636 square feet by June 2029, meeting 42% of the shortage.
At the same meeting, ECNEC approved 17 development projects worth Tk15,383.51 crore. Of the total cost, Tk9,451.84 crore will come from government funds, Tk5,609.70 crore from project loans and Tk379.31 crore from the implementing agencies’ own resources.
The approvals were issued at the National Economic Council conference room of the Planning Commission, chaired by Chief Adviser and ECNEC Chairperson Muhammad Yunus.
