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LGC finalises report

Four-tier local govt system likely

By Staff Correspondent
Chairman of the Local Government Commission (LGC) Rahmat Ali. MP, yesterday assured that the Commission, in its report, would recommend a four-tier local government system. to build up democratic institutions across the country.
The LGC chairman, however, refused to disclose the salient features of the almost finalised" report which, he said, would be submitted first to the Prime Minister.
Rahmat Ali was speaking on the subject at a roundtable conference organised jointly by the Fair Election Monitoring Alliance (FEMA) and Study and Research Group of the Manabik Shahajya Sangstha in the city.
Participants at the
roundtable suggested various measures for a strong local gov erriment. The strong and powerful local bodies are a pre-requisite for any kind of sustainable development and democratisa-tion of the society, they said.
Presided over by the Vice Chairperson of the FEMA. Abul Ahsan, the roundtable was attended by participants from different professionals including legislators, teachers and researchers.
Without disclosing anything specific, the LGC chairman said that while preparing the outline of the future local government system the committee had specifically addressed the issues like component, functions
and jurisdictions of the village, union, thana and district level governments.
"We have also addressed the need for coordinating the development efforts to be taken up by the NGOs and the local bodies, relations among the different tiers of local bodies, representation of women in the local governments and s® on." Rah-mat All said.
Earlier, Suranjit Sengupta. Parliamentary Affairs Adviser to the Prime Minister and a member of the LGC. said that the Commission had proposed everything to meet the constitutional obligations in this regard. Referring to the constitutional obligations in this regard. Sengupta said, "all the local bodies are to be run by the elected representatives of the P^^arrister Ziaur Rahman, an MP of the BNP. said that his party had apprehensions that the ruling party would try to get a law regarding the local bodies passed by the strength of sheer majority. Referring to the passage of a law during the last session of Jatiya Sangsad that empowered the government to hold Union Parishad elections whenever it decides, the BNP legislator said. "Sometimes actions speak more loudly than words.”
Critical about the Commission's refusal to disclose the content of the report it has already prepared. Ziaur Rahman, however, suggested that there should be no such provision in the future law under which a DC can supersede the elected representatives of the local governments. He also proposed that there should be a provision for the local bodies to raise revenue. whatever little the
amount may be. from the elec torale concerned.
M K Anwar, another BNP MP. said, for powerful as well as effective local government bodies. the parliament members would need to be accommodative and tolerant in terms making a legislation providing the local bodies with adequate power.
Sharif Nurul Ambia of the Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal suggested that the local government should have, their own police and the system of elected magistracy' could be introduced at the Thana level.
Kazi Farook of the ADAB said, without powerful local bodies development was impossible. "The local bodies must nave access to adequate resources and they should be authorised to raise taxes from their constituencies concerned." he said adding that without resources the local bodies could not be powerful.
Taiea Rahman of Democracy Watch was very critical about the composition of the LGC itself. "It is surprising that there is only one woman in the eight -member commission." she said adding how could one expect that the Commission would do justice in proposing women representation in the future local bodies.
Among others who participated in the discussion included Maj (retd) Akhteruzzaman. MP. AKM Jahangir. MP. Prof Ma-habbat Khan of DU. Azhar All. a retired secretaiy and member of the LGC. Akhtar Hamid Sid-diki. MP. Gazi Shamsur Rahman. MP, Farook Khan, MP, Prof Shawkat Ara Hossain and Prof Habibur Rahman. Feroz M Hassan of MSS also spoke on the occasion.