No job for vice-chairmen in upazila parishad rules

No role of upazila, union parishads in TR programme
The government on Tuesday issued a guideline on the functioning of the newly-formed upazila parishads without defining the jurisdiction of vice-chairmen.
The LGRD and cooperatives ministry issued the guideline, which will remain effective until the Upazila Parishad Rules of Business 2009 is framed.
The food and disaster management ministry, on the other hand, issued a notification the same day amending the guideline on approval, implementation and monitoring of the rural infrastructural maintenance (test relief) projects.
According to the amended guideline, neither the upazila parishad nor the union parishad, the two major tiers of the local government institutions, will have any role in the approval, implementation and monitoring of test relief projects.
The selection and approval of the projects, allocations for them and the formation of the project implementation committees will be done in accordance with the approval of the lawmaker concerned, the amended guideline stipulated.
The elected representatives in upazila and union parishads termed the newly-issued guideline unacceptable, saying it has undermined the local government institutions in violation of the constitutional provisions for running local administrations through elected local government bodies.
The guideline for upazila parishads allows the upazila chairman to hand over power to the upazila nirbahi officer, working as secretary to the council as per the law, through a written order with the council’s consent.
All the papers requiring approval of the chairman must go through the upazila nirbahi officer, who will write his or her opinion before submitting the papers to the chairman.
The upazila chairman will need to inform in writing the panel chairmen and the UNO of his or her temporary absence, said the order issued by the Local Government Division.
The upazila nirbahi officer in short-term absence of the upazila chairman can convene the meeting of the council in case of emergency. The upazila council fund will be jointly run by the chairman and the upazila nirbahi officer, according to the Local Government Division’s notification signed by joint secretary Md Hasanur Rahman.
The food and disaster management ministry through another notification issued on the day allowed the lawmakers to take up projects and implement them under the test relief programme in their areas.
The ministry has already allocated 250 tonnes of rice from test relief programme for each of the 300 lawmakers and also for each of 45 lawmakers in reserved seats for women for infrastructure development work in their areas.
The upazila parishad — constituted, among others, with the chairman and two vice-chairmen, one of whom is woman — has been empowered to look after all development activities and review law and order and relief and rehabilitation work at the upazila level.
The council will need to send all meeting minutes and chairman’s order to the local lawmaker, Local Government Division and the deputy commissioner concerned.
On behalf of the council, the UNO with approval of the chairman are allowed to communicate with the government.
Reacting to the latest official notifications, the local government representatives told New Age the engagement of lawmakers in local activities, especially development work, would weaken the local government bodies, hinder development work and put the system in disarray.
Vice-chairmen of upazila parishads and union parishad chairman, talking with New Age, termed unacceptable the upazila rules and circular on the implementation of test relief programme.
‘I am elected by 55,000 votes not to sit idle. If the new rules do not specify the task of vice-chairman, it is absolutely unacceptable as we are committed to work for the people,’ said Biswanath upazila parishad vice-chairman Angura Begum.
Kathkhola union parishad chairman Mostak Ahmed said, ‘There are elected representatives to see the development work and wellbeing of the people of their areas. If the lawmakers want to get involved in union parishad projects, no local government bodies will virtually exist.’
Through the Local Government Division order, the Thana Parishads Business Rules 1983 has been repealed as the government is going to frame the Upazila Parishads Business Rules 2009 under the new upazila parishad act passed by the ninth parliament.
Conflicts between the elected representatives and local administration at grass roots have, meanwhile, intensified with upazila nirbahi officers siding with lawmakers putting local administration in disarray.
Grassroots administrations are suffering from a kind of inertia as the newly elected upazila chairmen have already protested against the amended upazila council law which has given lawmakers sweeping powers to interfere in development activities.
Upazila nirbahi officers, on the other hand, ‘do not like the idea of working under the authority of the chairmen,’ according to official sources.
The Bangladesh Upazila Chairmen’s Forum convener, Muhibur Rahman, said there was a kind of smear campaign against upazila chairmen so that the local government system could be proved ineffectual and could ultimately be abolished.
He, however, acknowledged that local administration was facing problems as the local administrators and lawmakers were holding meetings following the directives from the central administration bypassing the upazila chairmen.
Experts and local government representatives said authority of lawmakers over the functioning of local government institutions could be disastrous for the local government system.

Courtesy of on NewAgebd