Govt will take talks to dists, upazilas, 'if necessary'
Wednesday, 4 June 2008
Local Government and Rural Development (LGRD) Adviser Anwarul Iqbal said Tuesday dialogue would be expanded to district and upazila levels, if necessary, for greater feedback from citizens, reports bdnews24.com.
"Dialogue with the political parties is not reflecting people's real concerns," the adviser told a meeting with local government representatives in his Secretariat office.
"We have moved to involve the public representatives, businessmen, farmers and workers in dialogue to have a better outcome."
Iqbal said the dialogue was a result of the demand by political parties.
On a decision by major political parties to boycott the talks, the adviser said: "We hope good sense will prevail upon the political parties."
About the political parties' negative response to local government polls in October, the adviser said: "It (opposition) may disrupt the environment of national elections."
Referring to the chief adviser's promise to hold the national polls in the third week of December, Iqbal said the government would do "everything to keep election environment normal".
A local government commission is being formed to ease the government's control over local government affairs, the adviser said.
The Union Parishads are not collecting taxes from people apparently to make the voters happy as the local polls are nearing, an unhappy adviser said.
He warned that Union Parishads would get allocations on the basis of the revenue.
The adviser said there were massive irregularities in Sylhet City Corporation.
"Many anomalies are there as projects have been taken without bidding. We have asked the acting mayor to take legal measures."
On the demand of the local government representatives that the government should stop arresting any local government representative, Iqbal said the drive was meant to crush "corrupt elements" in the run-up to the elections.
"We have given directives not to harass innocent people."
"Dialogue with the political parties is not reflecting people's real concerns," the adviser told a meeting with local government representatives in his Secretariat office.
"We have moved to involve the public representatives, businessmen, farmers and workers in dialogue to have a better outcome."
Iqbal said the dialogue was a result of the demand by political parties.
On a decision by major political parties to boycott the talks, the adviser said: "We hope good sense will prevail upon the political parties."
About the political parties' negative response to local government polls in October, the adviser said: "It (opposition) may disrupt the environment of national elections."
Referring to the chief adviser's promise to hold the national polls in the third week of December, Iqbal said the government would do "everything to keep election environment normal".
A local government commission is being formed to ease the government's control over local government affairs, the adviser said.
The Union Parishads are not collecting taxes from people apparently to make the voters happy as the local polls are nearing, an unhappy adviser said.
He warned that Union Parishads would get allocations on the basis of the revenue.
The adviser said there were massive irregularities in Sylhet City Corporation.
"Many anomalies are there as projects have been taken without bidding. We have asked the acting mayor to take legal measures."
On the demand of the local government representatives that the government should stop arresting any local government representative, Iqbal said the drive was meant to crush "corrupt elements" in the run-up to the elections.
"We have given directives not to harass innocent people."