& 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

An exception to upazila law

PM didn't play advisory role for two upazilas

Shakhawat Liton
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has not played the role of an adviser to two upazila parishads in her parliamentary constituency in the last five years, making an exception to the upazila parishad law.
The Upazila Parishad Act, 1998, empowers Hasina to play the advisory role in the Tungipara and Kotalipara upazilas as an elected MP of Gopalganj-3 constituency.
But she has instead authorised an Awami League leader to act on her behalf.
"I have been giving necessary advices to the two upazila parishads for the last five years as the prime minister has authorised me to do so," Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, also religious affairs secretary of central committee of the AL, toldThe Daily Star yesterday.
In addition, he has been playing other roles of an MP regarding carrying out development activities in Gopalganj-3 constituency.
"Since the prime minister remains busy with the state activities, she has officially authorised me to act on her behalf in her constituency," he claimed.
Abdullah, who was also a leader of Gopalganj district unit of AL, said a gazette notification was issued to that effect in early 2009 after MPs were made advisers to the upazila parishads by amending the law.
"I have been signing all documents requiring signature of the MP in Gopalganj-3 constituency," he said.
The first gazette notification was issued in 2009. Hasina has been elected as an MP from Gopalganj-3 again in the January 5 polls and has been sworn in as PM on January 12.
Asked if a fresh gazette was published to authorise him afresh to act as the representative of the premier, Abdullah replied in the negative. “I am continuing with my job as per the gazette notification issued in 2009."
Talking to The Daily Star over the phone yesterday, Solaiman Biswas, chairman of Tungipara upazila parishad, and Bimal Krishna Biswas, chairman of Kotalipara upazila parishad, also said Abdullah had been working as the representative of the PM.
"Whenever we need an official signature of our local MP (Hasina], Sheikh Abdullah signs the documents," said Solaiman.
Bimal Krishna echoed the same. Both of them said they sometimes met Hasina when she visited Tungipara and discussed development activities with her.
The Upazila Parishad Act, 1998, says something otherwise. The law makes the MPs advisers to the upazila parishads in their constituencies. According to the law, each upazila parishad will take advice from its adviser to carry out its activities. The law also does not allow upazila parishads to send development plans to the government for implementation without recommendation of the adviser concerned.
Sheikh Abdullah does not find anything wrong with his functions. But legal and local government experts strongly oppose the delegation of powers to him.
"No lawmaker can delegate their powers to anybody to act as an adviser to an upazila parishad. The upazila parishad law does not allow lawmakers to do so," jurist Shahdeen Malik told The Daily Star yesterday.
Local government expert Prof Tofail Ahmed expressed the same view.
Solaiman and Bimal, chairmen of Tungipara and Kotalipara upazila parishads, however, said they did not face any difficulties in the last five years to carry out their activities.
However, upazila chairmen across the country have been blasting the government since MPs were made advisers to the parishads and demanding scrapping of the provision.
Local government experts and civil society personalities also strongly criticised the government move. In their views, the government has allowed MPs to meddle in upazila parishads' functions by making them advisers.
Empowering MPs to meddle in the functioning of upazila parishads also runs counter to a High Court verdict.
“The members of parliament are entitled to ask for any information and raise grievance against any of their electorates before the House but cannot interfere with the local administration," asserted the HC in the verdict delivered on April 27,2006.