UNOs are rulers of upazilas

Bangladesh Upazila Parishad Association has alleged that upazila nirbahi officers (UNOs) are playing the role of rulers at the upazila level.

Speaking at a press conference at Dhaka Reporters Unity yesterday, leaders of the platform complained that the bureaucratic attitude of the UNOs was creating obstacles to the activities of the public representatives.

Upazila Parishad President Harun-ur-Rashid Hawlader said although there are elected representatives in an upazila parishad, an official (UNO) of the republic is acting as the ruler of the upazila ignoring everything.

"Some administrative officials are involved in a conspiracy to establish a public administration system without public representatives by bypassing democratic decentralisation," he said.

The association alleged that government officials at the upazila level were conspiring to establish feudal rule by secluding the public representatives. There is a lack of coordination at the field level due to the unlawful conducts and activities of the officials, it said.

Harun said upazila has been declared an administrative part in the related law and its administrative structure is the elected upazila parishad. At least 17 departments under 12 ministries, along with its officers, employees and functions, have been handed over to the upazila parishad in accordance with the Upazila Parishad Act.

But various ministries and departments are issuing circulars without taking the law into consideration. Through these circulars, the UNO concerned has been made the chairman of almost 100 percent committees formed for the disposal of the functions of all departments in the upazila, he said.

The UNO concerned is also the income and expenditure officer of these 17 departments. Being the chairman of the committees, the UNO is controlling all activities without the approval of the upazila parishad chairman, Harun told the press conference.

He said circulars and orders were issued several times by the local government ministry and the Cabinet Division for carrying out the activities following approval of the upazila parishad chairman concerned. But the instruction or order is not complied with at the upazila level.

It further alleged that public representatives get in trouble if they take initiatives to implement the instructions in accordance with the constitution, laws, and circulars.

"Elected representatives are removed through conducting an executive inquiry after creating an issue. In this way, the participatory governance system of the people's representatives and the people at the local government level is being damaged," the Upazila Parishad Association said.

Mentioning that the 5th upazila parishad polls were held in 2019, the platform said it wrote several times to the LGRD minister, cabinet secretary and senior secretary of the Local Government Division informing them about all these issues and requested them to take action in this regard. However, the association was yet to receive any reply.

The organisation said public representatives do not have the authority to provide government assistance to farmers, rehabilitate rural poor, and homeless people, choose locations for installing tube wells and distribute winter clothes as everything is done by the UNO.

"The people's representatives are facing controversy as they are not able to play any role in development and service activities due to the negative attitude of the administrative officials," it mentioned.

The organisation, on behalf of upazila chairmen, vice chairmen and women vice chairmen, made several demands, including immediate amendments to the circulars, issued by various ministries, which put obstacles in the way of carrying out the activities of the 17 departments by upazila parishads.

Saiful Islam, general secretary of Bangladesh Upazila Parishad Association, and Golam Sarwar, senior vice president, were present at the press conference, among others.