Deputy commissioners (DCs) want to introduce “risk allowance” and “ration” for field-level officials, including divisional commissioners, deputy commissioners, additional deputy commissioners and upazila nirbahi officers (UNOs), on the lines of law enforcement members. They will urge the government to implement their demand for strengthening the field administration at a three-day conference, scheduled to begin on July 23.
They have sent 197 demands to the cabinet division.They would be placed at the DCs’ conference.
DCs of Chapainawabganj, Mymensing, Narayanganj, Munshiganj, Pabna and Natore said that field officials have been working to maintain law and order, conduct relief operations and tackle any emergency situation in cooperation with different law enforcement agencies. For this, they should get “risk allowance’ and “ration”, the DCs claimed.
DCs of Chittagong, Rangpur and Rajshahi demanded enforcement of certain sections, such as 156 (investigations into cognisable offences), 159 (authority for preliminary investigation), 190 and 192 (cognisance of offences by the magistrates and power thereof), 191 (transfer of cases on petition by the accuse), 202 (suspension of issue of warrant) of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC).
The field officials also demanded that Section 260 to Section 265 of the CrPC should be amended, to allow summary trial for petty offences like adulteration of food and water, and help contain prices of essential commodities. According to sources, the DC of Tangail will urge the government to allocate timely budgetary allocation for local development projects, immediate filling up of vacant posts, training for field-level officers at home and abroad and steps against local political leaders.
The DCs will also urge the government to introduce the proposed Public Service Act as early as possible to protect bureaucrats. They are likely to ask the Prime Minister to ensure the presence of district officials, including the superintendents of police (SPs), at coordination and review meetings.
The DCs will also seek steps against some non-government organisations (NGOs) for charging high interests from their clients and revision in the charter of duties for DCs.
Some DCs said that failure to provide budgetary allocation and fill up vacant posts have affected development projects and implementation of various government programmes. “We could not recover most of the khas lands from the clutches of local political leaders and ruling party activists,” one of them said.
“We sometimes face contempt charges brought by local political leaders when we move to recover khas lands,” he added.
The DCs’ conference will be held at the conference room of the cabinet division. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate the conference. The cabinet division has already finalised the three-day programme.
-With The Independent input
