Comprehensive administrative reform drive underway to strengthen public service

In a move aimed at improving civic services and reinforcing governance, the government has carried out a sweeping administrative reshuffle. Officials say the changes are designed to boost efficiency, accountability, and coordination at the grassroots level so that citizens’ needs are addressed more effectively.

Within a week of taking office, the BNP-led administration removed previously appointed administrators from six city corporations, including Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) and Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC), and installed new ones. All six appointees are leaders affiliated with the BNP.

To prevent uncertainty over governance continuity, the government has announced that local body elections will be held at the earliest feasible time, reiterating its pledge to improve living standards nationwide.

Soon after assuming office as minister of local government, rural development and co-operatives, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir stressed that local government elections would be organised as early as possible. Speaking to reporters at the BNP’s Nayapaltan central office in Dhaka on Monday, Fakhrul said administrators had been appointed temporarily and elections would be held “at the right time.”

Fakhrul, who also serves as secretary general of the BNP, noted that while some local government bodies’ terms have expired, others remain valid under existing rules. “We will make arrangements to hold these elections at an appropriate time; however, they will undoubtedly be given priority,” he said.

The remarks followed a notification from the Local Government Division announcing the appointment of six new administrators across city corporations nationwide.

The reshuffle comes after a turbulent political phase. Following the ouster of the Awami League government in a mass uprising in August 2024, an interim administration dismissed all mayors and local government chairpersons and appointed administrators in their place. The current BNP-led government has now replaced those interim appointees with politically affiliated figures.

In DSCC, senior BNP leader and former deputy mayor of the undivided Dhaka City Corporation Abdus Salam has been appointed administrator, replacing Md Mahmudul Hasan. Salam also serves as president of the Dhaka South BNP unit and adviser to BNP Chairman and Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.

At DNCC, Shafiqul Islam Khan, a former BNP-backed candidate in Dhaka-15 during the 13th parliamentary election and central vice president of Jatiyatabadi Jubo Dal, has been named administrator. He replaces Suraiya Akhter Jahan.

In Gazipur City Corporation (GCC), Showkat Hossain Sarkar, president of the Gazipur Metropolitan BNP unit and a former chairman of Kashimpur Union Parishad, has been appointed, replacing Sharaf Uddin Ahmed Chowdhury.

At Narayanganj City Corporation (NCC), Sakhawat Hossain Khan, senior vice president of the Narayanganj Metropolitan BNP unit, has been named administrator. A lawyer known for his involvement in the Seven-Murder Case and former president of the Narayanganj District Bar Association, he replaces Abu Nasir Mohammad Abdullah.

In Sylhet City Corporation (SCC), Abdul Kaiyum Chowdhury, president of the Sylhet district BNP unit, has been appointed administrator, succeeding Khan Md Reza-un-Nabi.

Meanwhile, in Khulna City Corporation (KCC), BNP central organising secretary Nazrul Islam Manju has taken over as administrator, replacing Mokhtar Ahmed.

Broader administrative changes

The government has indicated that the reshuffle is part of wider efforts to establish a more people-oriented administration, including strengthening the police and reorganising key civil and military posts.

In the Bangladesh Army, Lt Gen Md Mainur Rahman has been appointed chief of general staff, while Brig Gen Kaisar Rashid Chowdhury has been promoted to major general and named DGFI chief. Former DGFI chief Maj Gen Mohammad Jahangir Alam and former PSO Lt Gen SM Kamrul Hassan have been posted as ambassadors under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

In the civil administration, three secretaries — Md Kamal Uddin (Religious Affairs), Md Saifullah Panna (Prime Minister’s Office), and Rehana Parveen (Secondary and Higher Education Division) — have been withdrawn from their posts and attached to the Ministry of Public Administration.

Criticism over political appointments

The appointment of politically affiliated administrators has drawn criticism from governance experts and watchdogs.

Iftekharuzzaman, executive director of Transparency International Bangladesh, described the move as an example of partisan political control of local government institutions. He argued that if politically affiliated individuals were elected through free and fair polls, concerns would be minimal. However, appointing them ahead of announced local elections could be perceived as an attempt to influence upcoming polls. He added that the government should have avoided setting such a precedent so soon after a national election widely expected to move away from monopolistic control of the politico-governance system.

Prof Sabbir Ahmed of Dhaka University’s Department of Political Science also urged that public interest remain paramount. He said administrators should address citizens’ needs without partisan bias and noted that internal discipline remains a key challenge for the BNP, remarking that “it is the biggest challenge for BNP to control hunger in its own party.”