Citizens against allowing MPs to interfere in upazila activities
Upazila representatives sworn in
Courtesy New Age 25/2/09
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Citizens from various strata of society, including representatives of local bodies, have expressed their dissatisfaction with the Cabinet for allowing lawmakers to interfere in the Upazila Parishads’ activities.
On the same day, the Cabinet scrapped the Upazila Parishad Ordinance, promulgated by the military-controlled interim government, and decided to make the local MPs ‘advisers’ to the Upazila Parishads.
A number of people, including a former adviser to the caretaker government, students, school-teachers and businessmen, on Monday observed that the lawmakers’ control and interference would make the local government bodies weak and ineffective.
‘The freedom, effectiveness and accountability of the local bodies will be hampered if the MPs remain involved in their work. Moreover, the local tiers of the government will not be strengthened,’ Akbar Ali Khan, former adviser to the caretaker government, told New Age.
Mohammad Ullah, chairman of Begumganj upazila, strongly opposed the government’s move to appoint lawmakers as advisers to the Upazila Parishads, and observed that the move would create problems in the functioning of the administration.
‘The right persons should be given the scope to discharge their responsibilities. Every job should be done by the right and by the designated person. Dual governance has never brought any good,’ Mohammad Ullah told New Age. He argued that it was not the job of the lawmakers to meddle in the local bodies’ work.
Nadira Begum Shila, vice-chairwoman-elect of Golapganj upazila, found no problem in the involvement of MPs in the development works of local government bodies. ‘The MPs are also elected by the people of the constituencies, so all the representatives elected to Parliament or local bodies should work together for the good of their localities,’ she observed.
When asked to comment on the Cabinet’s decision, Faruk Hossain, a school-teacher of Chapainawabganj, said, ‘The MPs should discharge their duties like enacting laws and formulating policies, and the local government representatives should be free to deal with local issues and development. It will be better for both the sides to stick to their designated tasks.’
The newly elected upazila representatives—chairmen, vice-chairmen (general) and vice-chairwomen —were sworn in at Dhaka, Chittagong, Rajshahi and Khulna divisions on Monday.
Of
Some 39 elected chairmen and male and female vice-chairmen of 13 of Chittagong Division’s 14 upazilas were sworn in by the divisional commissioner, MA Siddique, in a simple ceremony at the Circuit House.
Deputy secretary to the LGRD ministry Habibul Kabir said that the swearing-in ceremony of Sylhet Division’s upazila representatives was completed on Sunday, and the upazila representatives of other divisions would be sworn in by March 12.
The divisional commissioner Rajshahi Division, Hafizur Rahman Bhuiyan, administered the oath to the elected UP representatives at the
Out of 124 upazilas of the 16 districts of Rajshahi Division, chairmen and male and female vice-chairmen of 122 upazilas took oath as election was suspended in two upazilas of Sirajganj district.
Our correspondent from Jessore reported that all the chairmen and vice-chairmen of 20 upazilas in Jessore, Magura, Jhenidah and Narail took oath in the Jessore Collectorate Conference Room on Monday afternoon. Yunusur Rahman, the divisional commissioner of
The New Age correspondent from Moulvibazar reported that the oath-taking ceremony of elected UP representatives of seven upazilas of Moulvibazar district was held in the conference hall of the deputy commissioner of Moulvibazar on Monday afternoon.
Zafar Ahmed Khan, the divisional commissioner of Sylhet Division, administered oath to the UP representatives at a simple ceremony.
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