Upazila parishads across the country have been turned into inactive organisations due to unwarranted interference by lawmakers and bureaucrats, alleged upazila chairmen and vice-chairmen yesterday.
Expressing disappointment over the government's inaction to amend the Upazila Parishad Act, 2009, they demanded immediate move in this regard.
They made the demand at the Dhaka divisional conference of Upazila Association of Bangladesh (UPAB), held at the auditorium of Bangladesh Institute of Administrative Management in the capital.
Strengthening Democratic Local Governance, a programme of United States Agency for International Development (USAID), organised the conference.
Interference of legislators and bureaucrats has curbed the power of the elected representatives at upazila level, which has ultimately hampered the local development activities, they observed.
Instead of serving people, the chairmen and vice-chairmen had to remain busy in different movements during the last two and half years. This has led them losing respect of the local people, said Mohammad Fakhu, general secretary of UPAB Rangpur divisional unit.
There is no alternative to strengthen the local government institutions in order to establish good governance, Golam Mortuza, president of UPAB Khulna divisional unit, told the meeting.
The UPAB leaders placed seven-point demand to ensure effective upazila parishads. The demands include repealing the contradictory provisions in the upazila parishad act, making the standing committees of upazila parishads effective and depositing one percent of land handover tax to the upazial parishad fund.
They also vowed to rouse a movement to press home their demands.
After conclusion of the conference, a 51-member committee of the Dhaka divisional unit of UPAB was formed.
Source : The Daily Star
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