The Election Commission is set to seek approval for a nearly Tk500 crore infrastructure project aimed at protecting electoral databases, modernising voter registration services and preserving election materials, as the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) meets today to consider 16 development projects.
Planning Ministry officials said the project, titled “Construction of Upazila/Thana, District and Regional Election Offices and Server Stations for Electoral Database”, will be placed before the Ecnec meeting scheduled for Wednesday morning at the Secretariat.
The project carries an estimated cost of Tk492.83 crore and will be fully financed by the government. It is scheduled for implementation between January 2026 and December 2028.
Under the scheme, the Election Commission plans to construct one regional election office, three district election offices, and 45 upazila-level election offices and server stations. Floor space will also be purchased for 16 metropolitan police station-level election offices.
The facilities will support voter registration activities and provide secure storage for ballot papers, ballot boxes, electronic voting machines (EVMs), voter registration forms and other election materials.
Officials said the project is intended to strengthen the commission’s field-level operations and ensure safer preservation of electoral data and equipment.
The EC said maintaining an accurate voter list and a reliable national citizen database is essential for conducting parliamentary and local government elections, delimiting constituencies and ensuring democratic continuity.
According to the commission, the country first introduced photo-based voter lists and national identity cards ahead of the 2008 parliamentary election with assistance from the government and development partners. The system later evolved into a central citizen database widely used for identity verification.
The EC also said the introduction of photo voter lists significantly reduced incidents of fraudulent voting.
An earlier project had established server stations and election offices in most districts and upazilas. However, several facilities remained incomplete because of land allocation complications and the creation of new upazilas.
The new project aims to complete the remaining 65 offices and server stations across eight divisions, 32 districts and 61 upazilas and metropolitan police station areas.
Project activities include land acquisition, construction work, electrical installations, procurement of furniture and computer equipment, and the purchase of office floor space.
Officials said land has already been allocated in 19 upazilas, while acquisition procedures are ongoing elsewhere. Authorities are prioritising the use of government-owned khas land and land within upazila administrative complexes to reduce costs and protect agricultural land.
Planning Commission officials said the project was revised following recommendations made at a Project Evaluation Committee (PEC) meeting on 29 October last year.
The revised proposal removed a separate office building for the project director, reduced contingency expenditure and adjusted construction costs according to the latest Public Works Department rate schedule.
District-level office designs were also modified by excluding lifts and limiting some facilities at the upazila level to reduce costs further.
Election Commission Additional Secretary KM Ali Newaz told TIMES of Bangladesh that the project would strengthen the commission’s operational capacity and improve security for electoral equipment and databases.
“This is a very important project for the Election Commission,” he said.
Padma Barrage among key projects
Officials said today’s Ecnec meeting will be the third under the current BNP-led government and the 11th of the current fiscal year. The meeting will be chaired by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.
A total of 16 projects is set to be placed before the committee, including nine new projects, six revised schemes and one proposal seeking a time extension.
Among the most discussed projects is the proposed Padma Barrage scheme, estimated to cost Tk 33,474 crore.
The project proposes construction of a 2.1-kilometre barrage on the Padma River in Pangsha upazila of Rajbari district.
According to the proposal, the barrage is intended to ease water shortages across nearly 37 percent of Bangladesh’s river-dependent areas, revive five rivers in the south-western region and reduce salinity in the Sundarbans area.
Officials also expect the project to boost agricultural and fish production.
Planning Commission member (Agriculture, Water Resources and Rural Institutions Division) Md Mahmudul Hossain Khan said the project is aimed at addressing the long-term impact of reduced upstream water flow linked to the Farakka Barrage.
“Large areas of our country have dried up because of water shortages caused by the Farakka Barrage. The Sundarbans is also suffering. This barrage may help reduce some of those impacts,” he said.
He added that the project also includes plans for generating 113 megawatts of hydropower.
Other projects set for consideration include the construction of the Chattogram Muslim Institute Cultural Complex, development of a multi-storey building for the Department of Public Libraries, upgrading maternal and child welfare centres to 30-bed facilities, construction of support infrastructure for Hi-Tech City-2, development of government children’s homes, construction of the BIMSTEC Secretariat building, Mymensingh City Corporation’s Nagar Bhaban project, housing complexes for soldiers in Savar Cantonment, and a gas pipeline project linking Dhanuya and Mymensingh Combined Cycle Power Plant.
