Executive Engineers to Be Transferred Through Lottery System: Housing Minister

He said the initiative aims to ensure that qualified officials are posted to appropriate positions.

The minister made the remarks on Tuesday (October 13) while participating in the lottery-based transfer and posting process for executive engineers at the conference room of the Ministry of Housing and Public Works at the Secretariat. A total of 155 executive engineers are being considered for transfer and posting in this phase, he said.

Earlier, 767 sub-assistant engineers were transferred and posted through the lottery system on July 30, followed by another 254 sub-assistant engineers in August. On August 16, the process covered 219 assistant engineers and 190 sub-divisional engineers.

With the latest initiative, a total of 1,430 officials have been transferred and posted through the system so far. However, applications will be accepted for special cases on humanitarian grounds, the minister added.

Highlighting the government's efforts to make the PWD more transparent and accountable, Zakaria Taher said the government wanted to overcome the reputational damage associated with the department over the Rooppur project. He added that work involving the department was nearing completion and that the government would subsequently focus on the Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (RAJUK).

He said preparations for the postings had taken into account officials' previous service records and other relevant information.

The minister also said the ministry and development authorities under its jurisdiction had been instructed to establish land banks to improve transparency in land management. The initiative aims to identify the total amount of government-owned land, land under possession and illegally occupied land, and bring the information under a digital management system.

The government is also digitising the housing allocation process. A project related to the initiative is expected to be launched this week, he said.

Regarding plans to relocate the Secretariat, the minister said a feasibility study was underway on a proposal to construct a new Secretariat on the site of the former trade fair ground. The proposal may be placed before the next Cabinet meeting, but no final decision has been made.

He said preparations could begin quickly if the Cabinet approves the proposal. The preliminary conceptual plan envisages a space of approximately 3.0–3.2 million square feet.

According to the minister, the existing Secretariat faces shortages of office space and parking facilities. Most of its buildings were constructed in the 1960s, resulting in infrastructure limitations that need to be considered when deciding on a new location.

State Minister for Housing and Public Works Ahmed Sohel Manzur said the earlier lottery-based posting initiatives had received positive feedback and helped accelerate the ministry's activities.

Secretary of the Ministry of Housing and Public Works Md Obaidur Rahman, PWD Chief Engineer Md Khalequzzaman Chowdhury and other relevant officials attended the event.