Empowering local govt reps for development underscored

Speakers at a seminar emphasised on empowering the local government representatives according to the rules of its formation and bringing transparency in handling public fund, conducting auditing of income and expenditure regularly and conducting training for the members of Upazila Parishads to achieve the ultimate goal of its formation.
They said if the government gives all the powers to them then it would be easier for the upazila parishad members to contribute to the people uninterruptedly.
They also said the upazila parishads are yet to be empowered accordingly depriving the people of necessary services.
"At present UNOs are playing key role in all the decision making and implementation processes in upazilas thus depriving the people of benefit from the local government system," senior research fellow of Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Study (BIISS), Dr Mahfuz Kabir said.
"If the government decentralizes all the powers to the local government parishads then ultimate goal of the system can be achieved," he added.
Unnayan Shamannay, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) funded by the USAID has organised the programme under the banner of 'Upazila Parishad Governance to Improve Service Delivery' at CIRDAP auditorium in the city.
State minister for the Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Planning, MA Mannan, MP, was present at the seminar as guest of honour while Chief of Party, SDLG project, Jerome Sayre, Study Team Leader of Unnayan Shamannay, Dr Khondker Mokaddem Hossain, members from civil society and a number of representatives from the upazila parishads were present among others.
Dr Khondker Mokaddem Hossain said according to a study conducted by his organisation, upazila parishad members cannot do their actual work in absence of implementation of all the rules regarding the parishad.
 "Though the government placed seventeen categories of officers and employees including UNOs under the Upazila Parishads, it is yet to implement the rules.
According to him, a proposal had been sent to the ministry concerned last year for empowering the upazila councillors to give salaries and annual confidential reports (ACR) of those seventeen types of government employees but the proposal is lying with the finance ministry for long for its vetting.
According to the speakers, four issues also needed to be implemented in the local government system to empower the representatives for the benefit of rural areas across the country.
Providing training to the parishad members on their rights and responsibilities, ensuring transparency in handling public fund, participatory decision and budget making, and bringing their services to rural areas are the issues to be conducted in the upazila parishads.
 "There is no alternative to strengthening democratic local government in the country for the sake of greater interest of the nation," MA Mannan said.
The state minister also said political affiliation of the upazila councillors are the main obstacle to ensuring good governance.
 "Political representatives at the upazilas keep themselves busy in countering their opposition fellows the culture which is not at all good for the development process. We have to come out of the culture," he added.
He, however, assured all types of co-operation in decentralizing the power to the local government representatives.