The Jatiya Nagorik Committee has put forward a 15-point proposal, including cancellation of electing union parishad chairman by direct votes, to the Local Government Reform Commission.

The committee sent the proposals on Tuesday through a joint statement signed by its convenor Nasiruddin Patwary and member secretary Akhtar Hossain.

The proposals include recognizing the local government as a constitutional organization and it will be transformed effectively, abolishing the single-centred governing system of the local government organizations and following the below organizing structures to ensure effective public service.

A. There will be three stages of local government—Union Parishad, Upazila Parishad, and Zilla Parishad

B. The Zilla Parishad will be the centre of the local government and it will be run like a government.

C. All parishads will consist of directed elected representatives.

D. President and vice president of each parishad will be elected by the parishad members.

E. To ensure accountability, there will be a union and upazila-level monitoring council consisting of locally-accepted people and the local representatives will conduct activities in coordination with the monitoring council on the monthly basis.

The proposals also include making the local government as centre of development activities to turn the local government organizations into self-ruled and pubic representative as the local government system was established in colonial regime giving more priorities to the government than people, amending articles 59 and 60 of the constitution in terms of taking state decisions which will play significant roles.

Students, Nagorik Committee demand July Proclamation by Jan 15

The proposals mandate empowering people with constitutional system to withdraw or recall their local representatives to ensure accountability, demarcating the area of local government on the basis of peoples’ need and ensuring classification of services to be provided at the union, upazila and zilla parishad respectively.

Empowering local government with the freedom of planning and drafting budget and all reports related finance will have to be available on websites, digitalising all civic services of the local government in coordination with the principles of the fourth industrial revolution so that people can connect with services and works from anywhere, taking initiatives to turn rural people into skilled manpower to migrate.

Local government will be self-ruled and accountable to the people while the Ministry of Local Government will assist the local organizations, not control, and local government won’t be controlled by any government official or elected representatives.

Students, Nagorik Committee demand July Proclamation by Jan 15

Holding all local elections on a day to check the intervention of the government and stopping the use of political identity and symbols.

Local lawmakers won’t have any scope for playing a role in the local government as their tasks are to enact law, ensure accuracy and accountability in the parliament.

Union parishad chairman won’t be elected by direct votes and the UP members will play the role as chairman by rotation to halt the path of establishing autocracy.

There will be legal provisions for the presence of civic representatives and freedom of expression in the meetings of the local government will be ensured.

Effective initiatives will be taken to reduce the financial demand of poor people to the local representatives who will be honoured with good allowances.

Permanent standing committees like the parliament will have to be formed for the local governments.