EC bid to cut DC, UNO influence on its field staff

Commission asserts its position
The Election Commission (EC) has taken initiatives to stop domination of District Commissioners (DCs) and Upazila Nirbahi Officers (UNOs) over the field-level election officials and employees, reliable sources have said.
Although the EC is a constitutional institution, and, in accordance with law, the EC Secretariat is independent, the DCs and the UNOs treat the field-level EC officers and employees as their subordinate staff.
Frequently, the DCs, without the Election Commission’s knowledge, transfer field-level EC staff and, in many cases, they take action against them. A number of aggrieved field-level EC staff have complained to the commission in this regard and requested taking measure against it, sources said.
Recently, the EC has issued letters to DCs and UNOs asking them not to exert influence over the activities of the field-level EC officials and employees. The commission also sought clarification from them (DCs, UNOs) if they have the authority to take action against the staff of the independent EC Secretariat.
The Election Commission, in its letters, also explained the relevant law to clarify that DCs and UNOs are not the local authorities of filed-level EC officers and employees. The commission also attached a copy of the Independent EC Secretariat Act 2009 with each of the letters, sources added.
The letters issued by the EC also said that the Election Commission is a constitutional institution. It is not subservient to any ministry, directorate or department of the government. The filed level EC officials and employees work under the full control of the commission and they are accountable to the secretary of the EC secretariat, the letter said.
Sources said it has become compulsory for the EC officials to take prior approval of the DCs for taking leave and the employees are to approach the UNOs in this regard. If anyone takes leave from a senior election official, the DC issues show cause notice to the official concerned and ‘harass him’ in different ways.
As per office code, the divisional election officer will grant leave for the district election officers (DEOs) and the latter will grant leave for the upazila election officers (UEOs). But the DCs and UNOs allegedly never care for the office code and compel the DEOs and UEOs to take approval from them before going for any official decision, an official at the EC said.
The EC does not have its own office buildings at district and upazila levels. As a result, the district election officers and upazila election officers and other staff use the DC offices and the UNO offices as EC office. It leads to the DC considering them as his subordinates and he behaves with them as if they were the staffs at his office.
The EC has decided to construct its own office buildings at every district and upazila headquarters. The ‘unlawful’ domination of the DCs-UNOs over the EC staff will come to an end after they start using their own office buildings, an official at the EC said.
Although the Election Commission has been a constitutional body since the beginning, in the past it has worked as though it were like other subservient offices of the government. Besides, the EC secretariat was once dependent on some ministries.
The EC secretariat started work independently after the Independent EC Secretariat Act 2009 was passed. The field-level EC officials and employees will enjoy complete freedom after they start using their own office buildings, the EC official said.
 
Courtesy of The Independent