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UP chairmen reel from lawmakers' heat

Demand restoration of authority

Shakhawat Liton
Mohammad Ali Khan, chairman of Mannargaon union in Sunamganj, is in a fog about his responsibilities.
He sees the role of the local lawmaker in every activity of his union that limits his authority to act independently for the people who voted him into the office of the local government body.
"It appears that all the union parishad chairmen belong to the opposition party and the legislators belong to the ruling party. We're denied a voice in the initiation of local uplift plans and a say in the expenditure of government funds for the projects," he told The Daily Star.
Echoing him, Idris Ali, chairman of Chanahara union in Chittagong, said: "MPs are the roadblock to strengthening local government bodies. They do everything instead
of devoting their time to lawmaking, limiting us to mere spectators'," he said.
"If the trend continues, the government should erase union parishads from the local government system."
According to the constitution, the state will encourage local government institutions comprising representatives of the areas concerned and the Jatiya Sangsad will give the bodies authority to impose taxes for local purposes, prepare their budgets and maintain funds.
Alleging violation of the constitution, the UP chairmen said lawmakers robbed them of their authority.
They said the government often promised to strengthen the local government bodies, but its attitude to them was not healthy.
They said the situation is sliding fast since 1991 when parliamentary
democracy was revived.
The UP Chairmen Association, a national platform of chairmen across Bangladesh, is organising its members to launch a movement for the realisation of their demands and restoration of rights.
The demands include strengthening of the union parishads as per the constitution, curtailment of lawmakers' unwarranted intervention, withdrawal of official orders lowering the local government's authority, an increase in their remuneration, financial power and logistics support.
The association has sent letters to its members asking them to join hands in the interest of strengthening the UPs.
The association at a recent meeting decided to hold a convention on February 27 in Dhaka and invite Prime Minister Khaleda Zia to attend as the chief guest.
"We will give an ultimatum to the government from the convention to meet our demands," said Meer Anayet Hossain Montu, president of the association.
"We'll stay off work, hold protest programmes and may resign from our posts if the government does not fulfil our demands."
"Pressures from the lawmakers have brought some 4,500 union parishads across the country to their knees," said Abdur Razzak, chairman of Chanchara union in Jessore.
"They do not allow us to work freely, especially in the distribution of test relief, vulnerable group feeding cards and food for work and in the initiation of projects.
He criticised the gram sarkar system, saying it infringed on the rights of union parishads.
"Lawmakers are using members of gram sarkar bodies to advance their own interest," alleged Abdul Latif Mondal, chairman of Madla union in Bogra.