Mushtaq Ahmed

DHAKA, July 13, 2026 (BSS) - The number of multi-storey residential and commercial buildings is increasing in line with rapid urbanisation at the district and upazila levels of the country. But for a long time, there have been allegations that such buildings are being constructed in many areas outside the jurisdiction of development authorities, city corporations and municipalities without proper design approval, engineering verification and ensuring safety. 

In some places, additional floors have been built out of the approved design, while important safety issues like fire safety and earthquake preparedness have been neglected. These irregularities are increasing the risk of major accidents in the future.

In such a reality, the government is giving administrative powers to the Building Construction Committee (BC Committee) to prevent irregularities in building construction in districts and upazilas and to ensure planned urbanisation. 

The committee, formed by the Ministry of Housing and Public Works in areas outside the jurisdiction of the Development Authority, City Corporation and Municipality under the ‘Bangladesh Building Regulatory Authority Act, 2026’, has been empowered to take immediate action against violations of approved designs. 

At the same time, the committee will also be responsible for ensuring the implementation of the Bangladesh National Building Code (BNBC), approving the design of the building, supervising every stage of construction work, ensuring safety and taking legal action against irregularities.

Talking to BSS, State Minister for Housing and Public Works Ahammad Sohel Monzoor said the government is giving utmost importance to establishing accountability and discipline in the building construction system to ensure safe, planned and sustainable urbanisation. 

The number of multi-storey buildings has increased significantly due to rapid urbanisation outside the capital, he said. 

But, he said, in many cases, there was a lack of proper technical supervision and the deficiency will be fulfilled by forming a new building construction committee.

Monzoor said from now on, design approval, supervision of every stage of construction work and compliance with the national building code will be ensured. 
“If there is any irregularity or deviation from the approved design, prompt action will be taken as per the law. We want to establish a building construction system where the safety of people’s lives and property will be given top priority along with development,” he said.

The state minister said the government’s goal is not just to approve the design of the building; rather, it is to ensure the construction of safe, sustainable and planned buildings even in remote areas of the country. 

In the new system, the architectural, structural design, electrical system, mechanical and plumbing plans of the building will also come under technical verification, he added. 

If necessary, he said the opinions of experts from the Department of Architecture and the Department of Public Works will be taken on these issues.

A recent notification, issued by the Ministry of Housing and Public Works, states that all relevant laws and regulations, including the Bangladesh National Building Code (BNBC) 2020, Building Construction Rules-1996, Fire Safety Act-2003, Environmental Conservation Act-1995 and Environmental Conservation Rules-2023, must be strictly followed in the construction of buildings. 

That is why, from now on, it will not be enough to just get design approval; it will also be regularly monitored whether national standards are being followed at every stage of construction.

Officials at the Ministry of Housing and Public Works said the BC Committee has been given administrative powers in the new system. If a building is constructed in violation of the approved design, the BC Committee can immediately suspend the construction work. 

If necessary, the approval can be canceled, orders can be issued to remove illegal parts, and initiatives can be taken through the deputy commissioners to operate mobile courts.

Urban planners believe that this will play an effective role in controlling long-standing design violations, construction of extra floors and other irregularities. In this new system, building owners will have to get the approved design before starting construction. 

The design will have to be followed in the construction work and an occupancy certificate will have to be collected as per the rules after the work is completed. This is believed to make the entire process of building construction more accountable.

According to the notification, the upazila-level BC committee will approve the design of buildings up to seven floors. The district-level committee will be responsible for approving buildings of higher height. This arrangement has been made to bring large and complex projects under more technical evaluation.

Each committee will have to hold at least one meeting every month. The presence of architects, engineers and urban planners has been made mandatory in the meeting. If necessary, the opinions of relevant expert bodies, including the Department of Environment, Fire Service and Civil Defense, can also be taken.

According to experts, the biggest problem in building construction outside the capital was the lack of collective supervision. In many cases, after the design was approved locally, the construction work was not supervised anymore. As a result, design changes, use of low-quality construction materials or violations of safety rules were not detected in time. The new committee will be able to address this weakness to a large extent through regular inspections and monitoring.

However, the experts believe that the desired results will not be achieved by forming a committee alone. Effective implementation requires skilled engineers, architects and urban planners, adequate technical capacity and impartiality in law enforcement. If irregularities are exempted due to local influence or administrative weakness, the purpose of the new system may be disrupted. Therefore, the experts are emphasising regular monitoring and accountability of the committee's activities.

The ministry has already canceled the 2023 notification and implemented the new notification.
Through this, the government has given a clear message that unplanned and risky building construction will no longer be tolerated. In addition to strict enforcement of the law to ensure public safety, utmost importance will be given to maintaining quality standards in building construction.

Additional Secretary (Planning and Development) of the ministry Abdul Matin said the government's goal is not just to approve the design of the building, but to ensure the construction of safe, sustainable and quality buildings in every region of the country. 

The number of multi-storey buildings is increasing due to rapid urbanisation outside the capital, he said.

He said: "This new committee will play an important role in ensuring that technical standards, fire safety, environmental issues and the Bangladesh National Building Code are being followed properly at every stage of construction.”

At the same time, Matin said, an opportunity has been created to take swift legal action against irregularities and design violators. 

“We want to advance planned urbanisation by ensuring the safety of people's lives and property," he added