Revamp urban LG bodies thru commission: CPD

Bangladesh needs an autonomous commission to ensure effective functioning of urban local government bodies, which can help achieve sustainable development goals (SDGs) by 2030, according to a think-tank.

The Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), in a report, said Wednesday the local government (LG) bodies cannot perform properly due to factors like lack of fund, coordination and bureaucratic bottlenecks.

But direct and indirect engagement of these institutions would be required to meet 41 targets of the SDGs as identified by the study titled "How prepared is the urban local government in Bangladesh to deal SDGs?"

The views came at a CPD dialogue on delivering SDGs in Bangladesh on urban local government.

CPD distinguished fellow Dr Mustafizur Rahman moderated the event where Local Government, Rural Development and Co-operatives minister Md. Tazul Islam was present as the chief guest.

Presenting part of the report, CPD distinguished fellow Dr Debapriya Bhattacharya said the colonial legacy of dominant bureaucracy and a centralised governance mechanism are the two major obstacles to a functioning local government.

He said the absence of local bodies' autonomy coupled with low resource generation and a culture of dependence on the central government affect the performance of the urban local government bodies.

"A permanent local government commission can resolve these. It will transparently allocate resources scientifically considering population size or the number of poor people in a particular area. Now no scientific method is used in fund allocation," he said.

Besides financial allocation and staffing arrangement, such commission will also monitor the performance of the local government bodies, matched with the targets of SDGs, according to the economist.

Mr. Bhattacharya also suggested a platform to ensure regular communication between the local representatives and the central government.

Dr Salahuddin M Aminuzzaman, Professor of the Department of Public Administration at the University of Dhaka, said the LGIs' capacity needs to be enhanced further to cope with the challenges of global warming.

He said tackling climate change through protecting the environment is one of the goals of the sustainable development and LGIs could be used effectively for the purpose.

Citing a study, Mr Aminuzzaman said Dhaka would cross Beijing, Mexico city and Shanghai in terms of population by 2025. "Do we have a long-term plan for this?" he questioned.

Chief executive officer (CEO) of Narayanganj City Corporation AFM Ehteshamul Hoque laid emphasis on the coordination among the service providing entities to ensure inclusive development.

Mayor of Madaripur municipality Khalid Hossain Yead said local government act was formed several years ago but no guidelines have been made yet.

"So we cannot do many things even if it is in the act," he said.

He proposed an annual gathering with the central government where the representatives of LGIs can share their problems with the ministry concerned.

Speaking as chief guest, LGRD minister Md. Tazul Islam highlighted the importance of strengthening local government entities through the collection of more revenues.

He said the LGIs should create more income-generating opportunities for the people.

Major portion of people living in municipal towns are involved in agriculture, he said adding the agro produce they grow should be made profitable through the application of modern farming practices.

Referring to various activities of the government in urban areas, he said the rural economy can get a boost through the cooperative system and his ministry will provide all kinds of support in this connection.

Former finance minister M Syeduzzaman, former election commissioner Brig Gen (retd) Shakhawat Hossain and CPD senior research associate Umme Shefa Rezbana, among others, spoke at the programme.

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