Salute to Dr. Badiul Alam Muzumder (Country Director of The Hunger Project) and the Daily Star editor for letting us know the finer aspects of local government's necessities in an article appeared in DS on December 28, 2003 under the caption "The government deserves praise for correcting its mistakes". DS once again deserves special thanks for raising such vital national issues and putting it forward for the people's judgement. Local Government is a major issue duly enshrined in our original constitution commensurate with the fundamental policy of 'people's empowerment'. Unfortunately time and again the system has been victim of the incumbent government. They have used it to gain their party interest. No difference was with the present government. Introduction of controversialGram Sarker(GS), selected by government officials, raised hue and cry from all quarters. It happened, to some extend, in cases of two recent circular imposing restrictions on the movement of the Chairmen of UnionParishad. Initiatives of DS with other media to protect the LG were obviously worth mentioning.We want the full freedom of UP chairmen as per constitutional right. Chairmen at present are being used as the subservient of both UNO and MP. As a local leader he needs to mobilise local resources to make his union self-reliant. But the present government imposed a restriction on using the local water body (jol mahal) by the Union Parishad. We have not heard any voice against it. Unfortunately our chairmen have been kept busy with distribution of VGD and 'wheat'. They know these are their works. It's worth mentioning here that women members of UP have been made the adviser of Gram Sarker. Rather the previous male leaders who are not elected not even selected in the GS are taking decisions discarding the elected leaders.
We urge through this column the authority concerned to take immediate measures to allow the UP body use its full constitutional rights.
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