The government yesterday approved the creation of three new upazilas -- "Eidgaon" in Cox's Bazar, "Modhyanagar" in Sunamganj and "Dashar" in Madaripur -- in a bid to ensure balanced development in those remote areas.

With these, the number of upazilas in the country would be 495.

The approval came from a meeting of the National Implementation Committee for Administrative Reform (NICAR).

The meeting was held virtually, with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair. She joined the meeting from the Gono Bhaban, while the others from the Secretariat.

Briefing reporters after the meetings of the cabinet and NICAR, Cabinet Secretary Khandker Anwarul Islam said, "The structures of the three new upazilas will be like that of the latest upazila [492nd upazila]."

Besides, Dakkhin Sunamganj upazila was renamed as "Shantiganj upazila", he said.

The NICAR meeting gave the go-ahead to widening the Sylhet City Corporation area and thus Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST) and some other large establishments came under the purview of the city, he said.

Besides, changes have been brought to the peripheries of two municipalities -- Dohar in Dhaka and Shibchar in Madaripur, the cabinet secretary added.

Describing the rationale behind the formation of three new upazilas, Anwarul said Eidgaon is a very remote place as it is 40km away from Cox's Bazar Sadar upazila and it needed upgradation.

Modhyanagar upazila was created by splitting Dharmapasha upazila as Modhyanagar is an isolated place due to a haor, which is some 25km off Dharmapasha, he said

Dashar is also very remote place in Madaripur's Kalkini upazila, the cabinet secretary said.

Meanwhile, the cabinet gave the final approval to the draft of the Bangladesh Legal Practitioners and Bar Council (Amendment) Ordinance, 2021 with a provision for allowing the government to form an ad-hoc committee for a tenure of maximum one year to arrange the Bar Council election in an unusual situation.

"If the regular Bar Council election can't be held by May 31 after every three years, the government can form a 15-member ad-hoc committee for a maximum one year," Anwarul said.

He said the law ministry placed the proposed law as the deadline for the Bar Council election expired on May 31 last amid the pandemic.

The cabinet cancelled its previous decision on the approval of the draft of an agreement on certain aspects of air services, which was supposed to be signed between Bangladesh and European Union.