Permanent local govt commission essential for continuous improvement

Establishing a permanent local government commission is essential to ensure continuous improvement and innovation in the services provided by local government bodies and associated institutions, said Dr Tofail Ahmed, chief of the Local Government Reform Commission, reports UNB.

"If there is a permanent local government commission it can facilitate the continuous improvement and innovations in the services of the local government bodies and other local government related institutions like LGED (Local Government Engineering Department), DPHE (Department of Public Health Engineering) and Local Government Training Institute," he said.

"The local government commission can work as an agent to develop the quality of all the institutions in a composite way," Dr Ahmed said in a recent interview with the newa agency.

The Electoral System Reform Commission, headed by Dr Badiul Alam Majumder, in its report submitted to Chief Adviser Dr Muhammad Yunus on January 15 last recommended formation of a permanent local government commission in a bid to strengthen the local government system and bring dynamism in the services of local government bodies.

About this recommendation, Dr Tofail Ahmed explained why a permanent commission here is important to develop a strong and dynamic local government system in the country.

He said elected representatives are serving in local government bodies from city corporations to union parishads.

There are some problems here to control and monitor the elected local representatives from the central-level by national public representatives through only the bureaucratic system, he said. "So, a quasi-judicial body is required here to ensure justice and define a formula over the fund allocations to the local bodies from the national government, monitor the bodies, oversee the inter-local body relation, settle inter-local body disputes, find solutions to disputes between the local bodies and the government and its agencies, remove inconsistency in the local government laws,” he said.