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CPD Survey on City Corporations, Municipalities

Two-thirds of respondents unhappy with services

Staff Correspondent
Nearly two-thirds of respondents are dissatisfied with the services provided by municipalities and city corporations, reveals a survey of the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD).
In the four-month study, the private think tank found that 40 percent of respondents in municipalities and 35 percent in city corporations were satisfied with the services.
The rest are discontented, mainly because of poor quality of service delivery, says the report, "The unheard voices: Citizens' perception on the state of governance and service delivery in municipalities and city corporations in Bangladesh."
A high level of politicisation in municipalities' affairs is another reason, said CPD Distinguished Fellow Debapriya Bhattacharya, sharing the findings at a dialogue on local government financing at Brae Centre in the
capital yesterday.
He added, "Municipalities and city corporations cannot provide services properly because of financial constraints."
Chr Michelsen Institute (CMI), Norway and the CPD jointly organised the dialogue chaired by Member of CPD Board of Trustees M Syeduzzaman.
Between December 2012 and March 2013, the CPD interviewed 110 people in nine municipalities and two city corporations through structured questionnaires.
The findings show that poor services are also resulted from lack of commitment of mayors, councillors and municipality officials, corruption of contractors and elected representatives, and political consideration in implementing development projects.
CPD found that 63 percent of respondents heard about corrupt practices in development projects led
by their municipalities and city corporations.
The respondents highlighted problems like sanitation, drainage, water supply, insufficient lighting, construction and maintenance of roads, and poor waste management.
At the dialogue, speakers blamed lack of autonomy of the local government bodies in spending for poor services and inadequate tax collections for financial constraints.
Prime Minister's adviser HT Imam favoured real devolution of power instead of decentralisation, saying decentralisation did not help when power remained centralised.
"Give authority to the local bodies so that they are themselves responsible for their areas...give them the authority to collect. They can collect funds and resources."
Amirul Islam Chowdhury, former vice chancellor of Jahangirnagar
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University, said these local bodies could not spend money without approval from the line ministry. "There is a blanket control on government funds. It goes against autonomy or decentralisation."
Efforts by municipalities to collect taxes are low, and tax default is another problem for these bodies, he added. "Government's institutions are the highest defaulters."
Prof Tofazzal Islam Chowdhury, mayor of Nabiganj municipality in Habiganj, urged autonomy for local government institutions to improve services.
"In every way, we're under control of government agencies. We can't buy a vehicle without approval. Ifwe frame a
budget, we've to get permission for implementation."
Faizur Rahman Fakir, chair-man of a Mymensingh upazila, said local bodies had a huge scope to collect taxes but this opportunity was not realised fully.
About 90 percent of local government's finance comes as grant from the government and the rest is collected locally, he added.
Former adviser to a caretaker government AMM Shawkat Ali put stress on administrative decentralisation and capacity building of local government bodies.
Executive Director of Democracywatch Taleya Rehman and CMI Senior Research Odd-Helge Fjeldstad also spoke.