HC orders for compelling UNOs to provide assistance to UP chairpersons
The High Court today directed the government to instruct the upazila nirbahi officers (UNOs) to provide assistance and necessary advice to the respective Upazila Parishad chairpersons across the country in exercising their (Upazila Parishad chairpersons) executive powers.
The court ordered the authorities concerned to issue a notification so that the UNOs act in line with a circular issued on June 17, 2010 to this effect.
According to the circular issued by the ministry of local government, rural development and cooperatives, the UNOs will provide assistance and necessary advice to respective Upazila Parishad chairpersons in exercising their executive powers.
The UNOs will place all proposals of Parishad's expenditures and administrative decisions before the chairpersons and if the UNO is empowered by the Upazila Parishad, he or she (UNO) will exercise its executive powers, according to the 2010 circular.
The circular also said that UNOs will provide secretarial assistance to Upazila Parishad and will attend the meetings of the Parishads and of their standing committees' meetings if it feels necessary to participate discussions as official responsibilities, but they (UNOs) cannot exercise any voting rights.
Today, the HC bench Justice Md Mozibur Rahman Miah and Justice Md Kamrul Hossain Mollah came up with the directive for issuing the notification to implement the June, 17, 2010 circular, while hearing a pending writ petition filed by Bangladesh Upazila Parishad Association led by its Chairman Harun-ur-Rashid and its General Secretary Saiful Islam Khan Biru.
Lawyers Manzill Murshid and Hassan MS Azim appeared for the petitioners while Deputy Attorney General Nawroz MR Chowdhury represented the state while hearing the writ petition.
On January 7, the HC issued a rule asking the authorities concerned of the government to explain why the Section 33(1) and (2) of the Upazila Parishad Act should not be declared illegal and unconstitutional.
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