The government remains firm on relocating the Bangladesh Secretariat to the old trade fair ground in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar in Dhaka, while students of Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University (SAU) continue to demand that the land be returned to the university for research.
After weeks of protests, road blockades and a university shutdown, the university administration is now seeking direct intervention from the prime minister to resolve the dispute.
The government, however, maintains that the new secretariat will be built at the site approved by the cabinet, leaving the two sides at an impasse.
On October 18, a cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman approved a proposal to relocate the secretariat from Abdul Gani Road to the old trade fair ground. The decision triggered protests by SAU students.
Rezaul Karim Badsha, chairman of the parliamentary standing committee on the Ministry of Housing and Public Works, said that the decision remained unchanged.
"The decision is to relocate the secretariat there. If any changes are needed, those will have to be made at the government level," he said, adding that university representatives could raise their concerns with the prime minister.
SAU Proctor Professor Dr Md Arfan Ali said an emergency syndicate meeting on November 8 decided to send a delegation comprising syndicate members and two to three students to meet the prime minister.
"The next steps will depend on the decision he makes," he said.
The university claims the land historically belonged to the agricultural institution and was taken during the Ershad regime for organising trade fairs. Arfan Ali said the university needed the ground for research as its existing facilities were inadequate for undergraduate, postgraduate and PhD programmes.
The university is collecting land records, including CS and RS documents, to establish its claim. It cited a 1920 gazette as evidence of its historical connection to the land.
The Ministry of Housing and Public Works, however, maintains that the 157 acres, including the fairground and its structures, are recorded as government property under the ministry.
New secretariat plan
The proposed project covers around 31.58 acres and envisages 14 buildings, each 12 storeys high with three basement levels. The complex will have a combined floor area of around 3.316 million square feet and parking for approximately 3,800 vehicles.
Plans also include a mosque, multipurpose hall, cafeteria, green spaces and water bodies.
The existing secretariat on 17.57 acres along Abdul Gani Road has 13 buildings, eight of which were constructed before independence. The government has cited seismic risks, space shortages and scattered ministry offices as reasons for relocation.
Although the conceptual design of the new complex has been approved, detailed engineering designs and project costs are yet to be finalised. The government aims to begin operating the new secretariat by 2029.