Government preparing master plans for every city corporation, district: PM Tarique

The government is preparing master plans for every city corporation and district as part of efforts to build planned, safe and environmentally friendly urbanisation across Bangladesh, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has said.

He made the remarks on Monday while inaugurating a three-day housing fair at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Center (BCFCC) in Dhaka.

“Building planned, safe, environmentally friendly and inclusive cities is a goal of the current government. Ensuring liveable, safe and dignified housing for low- and lower-middle-income people is also an important part of the government’s plans,” he said.

“Ensuring planned urbanisation and housing, and providing housing facilities for people with limited incomes, is one of the government’s major election pledges,” he added.

The Ministry of Housing and Public Works has been working towards these goals, he said, adding that master plans are being prepared for every city corporation and district.

Development authorities have already been formed in Sylhet, Mymensingh, Barishal, Cumilla, Rangpur and Narayanganj, he said.

“These initiatives will make it easier to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 11 by building inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable cities,” the prime minister said.

Safe Housing for All

Tarique said liveable, affordable, environmentally friendly and safe housing with basic services is a fundamental right of citizens.

Alongside encouraging block-based housing, the government is continuing efforts to establish area-based parks and playgrounds and develop industrial zones in designated areas, he said.

“I believe that if the government can implement all the plans it has undertaken in phases, ‘safe housing for all’ will become a reality for the country’s citizens,” he said.

The discussion was organised by the Ministry of Housing and Public Works on Monday morning to mark World Habitat Day 2026, with the theme “Universal Housing, Sustainable Urbanisation”.

The prime minister also unveiled a commemorative publication marking World Habitat Day.

A three-day housing fair is being held in the lobby of the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre, with participation from various housing and construction companies as well as departments and agencies under the Ministry of Housing and Public Works.

Tarique visited several stalls at the fair and signed the visitors’ book.

Population Pressure in Dhaka, Other Cities

Tarique said population and settlements in Bangladesh’s cities and ports are increasing continuously, with Dhaka now overpopulated and other cities facing a similar situation.

“Several times more people than is normal are living in urban areas. In such a reality, the concept of ‘universal housing, sustainable urbanisation’ is certainly important,” he said.

He said it was essential to ensure safe, quality and affordable housing for everyone in cities while developing environmentally friendly and well-planned urban areas.

The government has taken all possible measures to ensure universal housing and sustainable urbanisation, Tarique said, describing housing with basic services as a fundamental constitutional right.

“The current government is firmly committed to ensuring and protecting this right,” he said.

Housing Means More Than a Home

Tarique said World Habitat Day was not only about having a house, but was directly linked to a range of other issues.

“Sustainable housing generally means safe water and uninterrupted electricity supply, improved sanitation, public transport and road management, education and healthcare facilities, and adequate employment opportunities,” he said.

“Above all, it means a safe environment for living a dignified life.”

Ensuring such safe and sustainable housing for all citizens is easier for developed countries than for a densely populated country such as Bangladesh, he said.

“Nevertheless, to survive with dignity in a competitive world, we have to move forward by keeping pace with the world and addressing every challenge,” Tarique said.

He said providing citizens with not just housing but also making it safe and sustainable was now a necessity.

At the same time, he acknowledged that implementing these goals was difficult given the country’s existing circumstances.

Government Plans to Ease Urban Pressure

Tarique said the government was also working on possible plans to reduce population pressure in urban areas.

Improving transport links between Dhaka and other cities and the rest of the country to make travel faster, more affordable and safer, while expanding civic amenities in rural areas, could help reduce pressure on cities, he said.

“The government considers this an effective alternative and has already begun implementing various measures to put the plan into action,” he said.

Tarique said the government was taking steps to move beyond the concentrated development centred on Dhaka and a few major cities and bring every region into the mainstream of national development.

“The current government’s goal is not concentrated urbanisation, but decentralised and balanced urban and regional development,” he said.

The government has already taken plans under the supervision of the Ministry of Housing and Public Works to prepare spatial plans for the entire country and develop secondary townships around Dhaka, he said.

Focus on Environmental Protection

Tarique said environmental protection was an important consideration in developing liveable housing.

“Keeping nature and the environment in mind, planned housing is being developed in divisional, district and Upazila towns through the National Housing Authority and development authorities,” he said.

He said recent global political and economic developments had brought both challenges and opportunities.

“Even in this changing situation, the government is continuing its sincere efforts to implement various measures quickly and transparently to address urban challenges, particularly to ensure universal housing,” he said.

Tarique said it would be difficult for the government alone to address the country’s urban and housing crisis.

“In this regard, the coordinated participation of private entrepreneurs and other stakeholders involved in the housing sector can play an effective and important role in addressing the situation,” he said.

Housing and Public Works Minister Zakaria Taher chaired the programme.

Earlier, Tarique planted a Sonalu Champa sapling on the premises of the BCFCC.