A proposal to relocate the Bangladesh Secretariat to Agargaon will be placed before the next Cabinet meeting for approval, Housing and Public Works Minister Zakaria Taher said on Tuesday.

“Preparatory work was underway with the aim of completing the relocation during the tenure of the current government and the main implementation work will begin once the Cabinet approves the proposal,” he said while talking to journalists at an event at the Secretariat.

The minister said a master plan for relocating the Secretariat had been prepared in the past, and preliminary policy work and procedures had already begun in line with the plan.

The proposal will be placed before the next Cabinet meeting, and further steps will be taken swiftly if approval is granted, he added.

Explaining the need for relocation, the minister said the existing Secretariat frequently faces problems due to a shortage of space and parking facilities. Offices of several ministries have had to be scattered across buildings outside the main complex.

He also noted that most of the buildings at the Secretariat were constructed in the 1960s and had become old.

Considering safety risks during earthquakes and other natural disasters, repairing the ageing buildings and finding a permanent alternative have become essential, he said.

Taking all these factors into account, the government is working towards relocating the entire Secretariat to a new site in Agargaon during its current tenure, the minister added.

Referring to the prime minister's directives and willingness to implement the plan, Zakaria Taher said the government aimed to complete the initial and main phases of construction and relocation within its stipulated tenure, subject to formal Cabinet approval.