Politics
Dhaka Voters Approve Ward Projects Requiring 50 Million Taka Spending Input
The ballot measure would require public input sessions before final approval of projects above 50 million taka in Dhaka North and South City Corporation jurisdictions.
How we reported this
The Dhaka North City Corporation placed a referendum on the August 2026 ballot that would require mandatory public consultation periods before any infrastructure project valued above 50 million taka receives final approval. The measure covers roads, drainage upgrades and market renovations across the 54 wards under its jurisdiction and would apply starting with the 2027 fiscal year budget cycle.
City Corporation records show that 37 projects approved in the 2025 budget paper faced later cost revisions after construction began, with total overruns reaching 2.8 billion taka. The referendum proposal document released on 15 June 2026 states that earlier resident feedback is intended to reduce such adjustments by requiring hearings at least 90 days before tender awards.
Daily effects on services and costs
Residents in Mirpur and Mohammadpur would gain scheduled opportunities to review plans for local road widening before work crews arrive. Under the current process, final designs are set at the corporation headquarters on Gulshan Avenue without a formal comment window. The new rule would add sessions at ward offices where participants can request changes to drainage alignments that affect monsoon flooding on specific streets.
Business owners near the Tejgaon industrial area could submit data on delivery truck routes during the consultation phase. The legislation states that submissions must be recorded and responded to in writing within 30 days, though final decisions remain with the elected councillors. Property tax notices for 2028 are projected to list any approved projects that passed through the new hearing process.
Next steps after the vote
Ballots will list the question at all 2,300 polling centres managed by the Election Commission. If passed, the City Corporation must publish updated guidelines by October 2026 and begin training ward staff on the hearing format. The 2026-27 budget paper already allocates 180 million taka for additional administrative staff to manage the extra meetings.
Policy analysts note that turnout in the last local referendum in 2021 reached 41 percent across Dhaka wards. The current measure contains no provision for binding votes, only for recorded input before councillors cast final tallies on each project.