Brac, Municipal Association of Bangladesh (MAB) and Power and Participation Research Centre (PPRC) jointly organised the dialogue on pro-poor urban development at the Brac Centre in the capital.
Speakers claimed that insufficient public investment poses a major challenge in tackling urban poverty.
Madaripur municipality mayor and MBA leader Md Khalid Hossain read out the keynote paper on ‘urban future and challenges of local government institutions for pro-poor urban development’ at the event.
"Inadequate government allocation, shortage of manpower, outdated laws and rules unable to address present needs, flawed development plans and programmes are plaguing the municipalities as they strive to provide different services to the ever-increasing urban population," the keynote paper read.
Khalid Hossain mentioned that there are only 43,000 permanent and 22,000 temporary employees to provide different services to over 21.6 million dwellers of 327 municipalities across the country.
A number of recommendations put forward in the presentation to boost the municipal services include significant increase in municipal budget, reform of municipal laws and rules to fit present day needs, provision of staff salary and benefit from the revenue component of the budget, special emphasis on pro-poor urban housing, effective waste and sludge management, and improvement in water supply system and infrastructure.
Speaking at the programme as the chief guest, Planning Minister MA Mannan said the budgetary allocation for local government will be distributed directly to project directors to ensure proper distribution.
"The number of poor people decreases in rural areas day by day but it's increasing in cities as they migrate to cities in search of better life. But the facilities of cities are getting in villages now," he also said.
Admitting that the disparity between the rich and the poor increased in the country, he, however, said their target is to stamp out poverty from the country.
Local government expert Dr Tofail Ahmed said an elaborated plan is needed for urban areas of the country.
"The government promised to formulate the 7th five-year plan but it hasn’t implemented it yet. You (government) must save local people as they also pay taxes," he said.
Dr Tofail said the tax distribution system should be amended and discipline should be brought in the financing system for local government.
PPRC Executive Chairman Dr Hossain Zillur Rahman said, “We have to think now about the local government. It doesn’t get proper facilities. Local housing is our economic power. They are also pillar of development. We have to invest there."
MAB chairman and Bera municipality mayor Md Abdul Baten said, "We’re desperately trying to utilise our limited resources to deliver the best. Even then, we can’t cope with. How is it possible to operate when the local government doesn’t even have 2 percent share of the national budget?”
BRAC's acting Executive Director Asif Saleh said public and private partnership initiatives can be undertaken to finance the housing for the urban poor people. “We should also give special focus on tackling the increasing pressure of rural migrants on the urban space and fire hazards.”
SM Ghulam Farooque, senior secretary of the Local Government Ministry, Md Shah Kamal, senior secretary of the Disaster Management and Relief Ministry, Dr Shamsul Alam, senior secretary to the Planning Division, and Md Shahid Ullah Khandaker, secretary to the Housing and Public Works Ministry, also spoke on the occasion.
Besides, Director of International Centre for Climate Change and Development Dr Saleemul Huq, Brac Urban Development Programme's head Hasina Mushrofa and representatives from other government and non-governmental organisations, Asian Development Bank, World Bank, Department for International Development (DFID) and other donors, universities were present at the event.