& çâÌæÚUæð´ ·¤è ¥ôÚU Îð¹Ùæ ÁæÚUè ÚU¹ð´ ¥ÍæüÌ ¥ÂÙð ÜÿØ ÂÚU ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´Ð ãæÚU Ù ×æÙð´, €UØô´ç·¤ ·¤æ× ·¤ÚUÙð âð ¥æÂ·¤ô ©gðàØ ·¤è Âýæç# ãôÌè ãñ ¥õÚU ÁèßÙ ·¤æ ¹æÜèÂÙ ÎêÚU ãôÌæ ãñÐ ÖÜð ãè ÁèßÙ ×ð´ ç·¤ÌÙè Öè ·¤çÆÙæ§ü €UØô´ Ù ¥æ°, çÁ™ææâæ ¥õÚU ©ˆâæã ÕÙæ° ÚU¹ð´Ð ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´, ÜÿØ ã×ðàææ ¥æÂ·Ô¤ Âæâ ãôÌð ãñ´ çÁ‹ãð´ ÂæÙð ·Ô¤ çÜ° ÂýØæâ ¥æÂ ·¤Öè Öè àæéM¤ ·¤ÚU â·¤Ìð ãñ´Ð

JS bodies ask for more authority

Accuse ministries of non-cooperation

Staff Correspondent
Chairmen of some parliamentary standing committees yesterday demanded amendment to the constitution and the rules of procedure of parliament to give the bodies more power.
They accused the ministries concerned of not providing in time the documents they ask for and reluctance and neglect in executing their recommendations, to cite a few forms of non-cooperation.
The chiefs of the Jatiya Sangsad (JS) committees made the demand for a constitutional amendment at a seminar titled, Parliamentary oversight and government accountabil-
ity in Bangladesh: the role of the standing committees on ministries.
The Jatiya Sangsad Secretariat and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) co-organised the seminar under the UNDP-funded 'Strengthening Parliamentary Democracy Project' at Dhaka Sheraton Hotel.
The standing committee chairs said they are frustrated with inadequate logistical support, funds crises, ministries' negligence and certain limitations the rules of procedure imposed on them.
They demanded immediate steps to remove the irritants to help the committees function more
SEE PAGE 11 COL 4 FROM PAGE 1
effectively to ensure transparency in public money spending.
"We're neglected. The ministry doesn't recognise our recommendations. Only the press has kept us visible to the public by reporting our activities," said Abdul Mannan, chairman of the parliamentary standing committee on the agriculture ministry.
He demanded empowerment of the committee system through amending the constitution and the rules of procedure of the House. Mannan also proposed to hold committee meetings in public: "Why don't we sit in public and let the people know what we discuss at the meetings and what we recommend to the ministry?"
Accusing ministries of not assisting them by providing information in time, Nazir Hossain, chairman of the parliamentary standing committee on expatriates welfare and overseas employment ministry, said the ministry hardly provides necessary documents to the committees.
"It [the ministry] doesn't execute the committee's recommendations. It appears the minister concerned doesn't even take a single look at the recommendations," he complained, demanding amendment to the law so as to make execution of the committees' recommendations mandatory.
Chief Whip Khandakar Delwar
Hossain, presiding over the discussion session, however differed with Nazir's demand. "It shouldn't be mandatory on the part of ministries to implement the committees' recommendations."
Abdul Alim, a senior BNP lawmaker and chairman of Public Undertakings Committee, said, "What do you say then, when the minister, who is also a member of the standing committee, agrees with some proposals of the committee meeting and then forgets all about them? The ministers should at least fulfil their commitments they make at the committee meetings."
Syed Manjur Hossain, chairman of the standing committee on communications ministry, proposed a set of recommendations for empowering the parliamentary bodies. The suggestions include allowing the committee members to participate in cabinet meetings as observers and the government's seeking opinions of the committees before introducing any policy.
Earlier, at the inaugural session, Speaker Jamir Uddin Sircar, Deputy Speaker Akhter Hamid Siddiqui and UNDP Resident Representative Jorgen Lissner elaborated on the important roles the parliamentary standing committees play in instituting democracy.