More autonomy sought for city corporations

Speakers at a Khulna divisional advocacy meeting on Saturday suggested giving more autonomy to the city corporations so that they can do their works freely.
They also suggested promoting regional products for proper development of the country as different regions were suitable for specific products because of its natural and geographical characteristics.
The International Business Forum of Bangladesh organised the meeting on ‘City governance and development of non-governmental sector’ at a city hotel.
Councillors’ representatives of the Khulna City Corporation and other municipalities of the division, traders, government officials, elite, civic group leaders and journalists attended the programme.
IBFB research director Dr ABM Mofizur Rahman presented the summary of a research work on the topic of the meeting.
Chaired by IBFB president Mahmudul Islam Choudhury, also a former mayor of the Chittagong city, the meeting was also addressed by BNP lawmaker Nazrul Islam Monju, Khulna city acting mayor Moniruzzaman Khan Khokon, Bangladesh Jute Association president Sheikh Farook Hossain, Bangladesh Frozen Food Association director Humayun Kabir, IBFB director Farhad Ahmed Akand and executive director Brigadier General (retired) M Mofizur Rahman, among others.
Dr ABM Mofizur Rahman in his presentation suggested giving more independence to the city corporations for doing their works freely, raising the status of the mayors to the rank of ministers, revising the city corporation law, bringing traffic control and other related activities of the traffic police under the corporation, reviving the posts of official commissioners, adequate budget for the city corporations and increasing revenue collection by the corporations for strengthening their economic ground.
He also suggested taking active steps to create job opportunity and establishing industries in old towns and upazilas, encouraging renewable fuel through development of garbage management and resisting environmental pollution in the city, introducing separate cadre system for local government, ensuring the participation of non-governmental organisations in city corporations’ traffic, garbage management, sanitation, public health and beautification and providing full power to the city corporations for forming community police teams at their wards.
The speakers said the country’s proper development would not be possible without participation of both the governmental and the non-governmental organisations in development works.
They observed that Khulna was always deprived of development initiatives though the region earned a handsome amount of foreign currencies for the country and 70 per cent of total frozen shrimps were exported from Khulna.
They alleged that the government did not give importance to the Khulna City Corporation like other city corporations in the country.
The speakers suggested that the city corporations should take responsibility to identify and nourish the regional products as specific products are available in some specific areas of the country because of the natural and geographical features of the areas.

Courtesy of NewAge