'Increase budgetary allocation for local govt'

22 June 2010, 18:00 PM

Staff Correspondent

Eminent personalities yesterday called for an increase in the budgetary allocation for the local government for its sustainable development and empowerment. They also stressed the need to eliminate bureaucratic barriers and establish supremacy of the people's representatives in the local government system to make it stronger and more effective. The call came at a view exchange meeting on 'National budget and the local government' organised by the Governance Advocacy Forum, a platform of 35 organisations working towards strengthening the local government system, at the Cirdap auditorium in the city. Speaking as the chief guest, Dr Qazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmad, chairman of the Palli Karmo-Sahayok Foundation (PKSF), said the government should formulate a law to ensure better coordination among the people's representatives, parliament members and government officials. He also laid emphasis on building capacity of the elected representatives and increasing manpower for strengthening the local government system. Ensuring food security is the prime concern of the government. To achieve this goal, the government should formulate a law to control middlemen's profit in order to ensure that the farmers get fair price of their produces, he said. Presenting the keynote paper, Prof MM Akash placed some recommendations to make the local government system more effective. He recommended that money should be allocated for the local government on the basis of need assessment, the local government should have the authority on local income sources and ombudsmen should be appointed to ensure accountability and transparency. KM Mozammel Haque, president of the parliamentary standing committee on land ministry, said specific law should be formulated to define power and duties of the parliament members, government officials and people's representatives in the local government system. He also called for formulation of a separate law to establish supremacy of the people's representatives at all levels of the administration. Bangladesh Union Parishad Forum president Mahbubur Rahman Tulu, Bangladesh Upazila Parishad Association coordinator Harun-or-Rashid Hawlader, lawmaker Dr Akram Hossain Chowdhury, Planning Commission (general economics department) member Prof Shamsul Alam and representatives of different NGOs attended the meeting moderated by Governance Advocacy Forum coordinator Mohsin Ali.