'Strengthen local bodies for good governance'
Speakers at a workshop yesterday called for greater empowerment of local government bodies to institutionalise democracy and ensure good governance and take its services to people's doorsteps.
The Union Parishad has turned into a very weak institution due to lack of resources, bureaucratic control and unwarranted interference from lawmakers which are the main impediments to strengthening local government institutions, they said.
Local NGO Shushilan organised the workshop titled “To make the Union Parishad a democratic local government body transparent and accountable to people for rural development” at Sadar upazila auditorium.
Without strengthening the local government, the target of the government's programme of poverty alleviation cannot be achieved and establishment of good governance will remain a far cry, speakers said at the workshop.
They laid emphasis on freeing local government from the influence of executives and taking steps for increasing income to make the local government bodies self-reliant.
They demanded return of local government bodies' authority to lease of local hat and bazaars and water bodies.
There should be more transparency in the activities of local government bodies, especially the UPs, to increase their credibility, they said.
Sadar Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Akhtaruzzaman Talukdar was the chief guest and upazila engineer Faruk Hossain was the special guest at the discussion presided over by with Shushilan Director Mostafa Akhtaruzzaman.
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