Staff Correspondent:The Local Government Reform Commission is not in favor of forming provinces in the country. Instead of dissolving the district council, it should be strengthened, according to the commission’s chief, Dr. Tofail Ahmed.
He presented this information at a national dialogue titled “Democratic Decentralization and Local Government in Light of Public Aspirations” held in Agargaon, Dhaka On Thursday. The dialogue was organized by the Governance Advocacy Forum and UNDP.
Dr. Tofail stated, “We are not in favor of forming provinces. The district council will not remain as it is now, but public participation must be ensured there.”
He further added that as part of judicial system reform, lower courts should be extended to the Upazila level. This issue has also been included in the recommendations of the Judicial Reform Commission, making it a potential public demand. A court will be established at the Upazila level to handle criminal and civil cases.
The dialogue addressed various crises and limitations of the country’s local government system. Dr. Tofail noted that local government representatives often become involved in irregularities and corruption. Many chairmen or members misuse their power to illegally extract sand and stones.
He pointed out that the main challenges of local government include institutional weaknesses, excessive centralization of power, financial limitations, lack of transparency and accountability, political interference, and limited opportunities for social inclusion.
To make the local government system more effective, the commission has proposed 210 reforms. The Governance Advocacy Forum also presented some recommendations, including decentralization of power and division of responsibilities at the local level, direct and non-partisan elections in local government, localization of tax and revenue management, ensuring transparency and accountability in local government, increasing grassroots participation, and enhancing institutional capacity.
The Governance Advocacy Forum stated that they have gathered opinions from over 50 civil society organizations across the country. Regional dialogues were conducted in Chattogram, Sylhet, Rajshahi, Barishal, and Khulna.
More than 400 individuals participated in these dialogues, held in January-February of this year, and presented their opinions and recommendations. Among the participants were 77 representatives from marginalized communities, including Dalits, indigenous people from plains and hills, hijra individuals, persons with disabilities, and tea plantation workers.
The keynote presentation at the dialogue was delivered by Kaniz Fatema, Deputy Director of WAVE Foundation, and Aniruddha Roy, Facilitator of the Governance Advocacy Forum.
The dialogue was presided over by Mohsin Ali, Coordinator of the Governance Advocacy Forum, with speeches from Professor Mohammad Tarikul Islam, Anwarul Haque, and Amanur Rahman.
Local Government Reform Commission opposes provincial system
