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MPs to make local development plans

No block allocation for them from next fiscal year; LGED to implement the projects

Shakhawat Liton
Lawmakers are likely to get huge authority over implementing local development projects in their constituencies through the LGRD ministry in the coming fiscal year.
They will prepare development projects for their constituencies and send those to the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) of the LGRD ministry for implementation.
The government decided on this new step after cancelling its earlier plan for
giving block allocations directly to MPs for development activities as the system has recently been mired in deep controversyin India.
"We cancelled the plan for making block allocation to MPs. Now MPs can prepare development projects and forward those to the LGED for implementation," LGRD Minister Syed Ashraful Islam toldThe Daily Star on Wednesday.
The LGED will implement projects with the money allocated to the LGRD ministry in the next fiscal year, he said.
Lawmakers will also be able to exercise
their sweeping authority over city corporations, upazila parishads and municipalities to control the development projects.
Upazila parishads are now obliged to seek suggestions from their lawmakers on its activities after MPs were recently made advisers to these local bodies.
A bill on making MPs advisers to municipalities in their constituencies will also be passed soon in the current parliament session. The parliamentary standing committee on the LGRD ministry, which is scrutinising a bill on city corporations, has also agreed in principle to recommend making lawmakers advisers to city corporations in their constituencies.
In the proposed Annual Development Programme for the next fiscal year, over Tk 1,500 crore has been allocated as development assistance to the local government institutions.
Of the amount, Tk 300 crore has been proposed as development assistance for upazila parishads, Tk 115 for union parishads, Tk 200 crore for municipalities, Tk 100 crore for six city corporations and Tk 150 crore for district councils while Tk 600 crore will be kept for special development assistancepurpose.
According to the proposed Mid-term Budgetary Framework. overTk 6,700 crore has been allocated for the local government division under the LG RD ministry for local development.
The allocated amount will be spent for improving the standard of living of people by strengthening local government systems and institutions and constructing and maintaining roads, small water reservoirs, infrastructure for water supply, sanitation and sewerage in rural and urban areas.
The LGRD minister said around Tk 5,000 crore has been proposed for keeping as block allocation which, if approved
by parliament, will also be spent to strengthen the local government systems and institutions and for their development projects.
In defence of block allocation, Ashraf said carrying out local development activities face difficulties in the absence of block allocation. MPs are elected representatives and they are greatly responsible for carrying out development activities in their constituencies.
In response to a lawmaker’s query in parliament on Wednesday, he said on receiving budgetary’allocation for the local government division, appropriate decision would be made determining the areas to get the block allocation.
Talking to The Daily Star on Saturday, advocate Rahmat Ali, chief of the parliamentary’ standing committee on LGRD ministry and former state minister of the ministry, welcomed the government move.
In the past, only a few lawmakers used to prepare projects, forward those to the LGRD ministry and were able to pursue the ministry for implementation of those projects, Rahmat Ali said.
Meanwhile, it remains undecided if the 45 female lawmakers elected to reserved seats will also get the opportu- . nity to ask the LGED to imple- ) ment development projects. LGRD Minister Sved Ashraf said a decision on the matter would be made soon.