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UP representatives demand one-third of nat'l dev budget

Staff Correspondent
Union Parishad (UP) representatives at a seminar yesterday demanded one-third of the total national development budget for a better local government.
Instead of going through the local administration, the UP should receive block allocations directly, local government experts said at the seminar.
The UP representatives pointed out that funding and manpower shortage coupled with interference of the lawmakers and administration has turned the oldest local government tier virtually ineffective.
The speakers also stressed specific policy' for budgetary allocation and work area of the UPs.
I The national seminar on 'Local garument policy reform issues was organised by Bangladesh Union Parishad Forum (BUPF) and supported by USAID and Pragati (Promoting Governance Accountability Transparency Integrity) at BMA Bhaban auditorium in the city.
In his keynote speech, ProfSalahuddin M Aminuzzaman said. “The Local Government (Union Parishad) Ordinance 1983 has turned UP into an administration-controlled tier".
He pointed out that as per the article 47 of the ordinance, UPs receive budgetary allocation through district commissioners (DC).
As per articles 12, 64 and 65 of the ordinance, local administration has the authority to dismiss UP chairman and members.
Articles 60.61 and 62 of the ordinance also gave special supervising authority over UP representatives.
“These rules are contradictory' to the constitution as they are elected representatives. Moreover, most of the times these rules are misused by the loc^l administration," hesaid.
Aminuzzaman added, "UP turned into an jneffectiye igwitujion because.it went through too marry structural changes."
Lawmaker Rashed Khan Menon said. “Too many haphazard changes led to many anomalies in the activities of UP and it restricted its power as well. The biggest distortion was made by the caretaker government."
Union Parishad should be the focal point of the local government as they are
closest to the people, he added.
Demanding cancellation of special authority of administration over UPs, lawmaker Hasanul Haque Inu said decentralisation of power is urgent.
Empowering the UP and making it an effective local government body is a huge challenge before the present government, hesaid.
Speaking as the chief guest, former adviser Hossain Zillur Rahman said UP is not a subordinate local government tier. The constitution has given specific status and work area to different levels of the government. There should be coordination between all the tiers of the local government maintaining each other's sovereignty.
prlqfaib Ahmed, former member of Locaf Gpv^nment Commission, lawmaker Shawkat Momen Shahjahan, Mujahidul Islam Selim, general secretary, CPB, former lawmaker Ali Reza Raju, Prof Badiul A Majumder, global vice president of the Hunger Project, Md Mahbubur Rahman Tulu, president of BUPF, and Md Ataharul Islam Bulbul, secretary general ofBUPF, also spoke.