Home
+
Published : 05 Dec 2024, 01:44 AM
The ousting of the Awami League government has left local government services in disarray, with municipal corporations dissolved and many Union Parishad chairs absent or in hiding. Residents are struggling to access basic services due to the vacuum.
In Sunamganj's Surma Union, Chairman Amir Hossain Reza has been absent from his office since the government’s fall.
Upon briefly returning from hiding, he was arrested, leaving residents like Islam Uddin, a small trader from Krishnanagar village, in distress.
“I need a birth registration, but without the chairman, I’ve returned empty-handed several times,” Islam told bdnews24.com.
The situation is similar in Chhatak Upazila's Singchapair Union, where chairman and Jubo League leader Sahel Uddin has not reported to work.
Panel Chairman Abdul Odud’s irregular attendance compounds the issue.
Amina Khatun from Jiapur village said her relative’s passport application is stuck because she cannot amend a birth certificate.
“I’ve been running around for days but can’t get it done,” she said.
Ward Member Masuk Mia said, “The chairman is in hiding, the panel chairman isn’t attending, and we’re barred from accessing the office. Citizens are suffering, and we plan to file a written complaint with the DC [deputy commissioner] through the UNO [Upazila executive officer].”
While the interim government dissolved corporations and municipalities and appointed administrators, Union councils remain functional on paper.
However, most of the 4,571 Union Parishad chairs, predominantly Awami League affiliates, are either in hiding or in jail, leaving their offices non-operational.
Services like birth registration, citizen certificates, and social welfare enrolments are at a standstill, causing immense hardship.
The government has instructed panel chairpersons to step in during the absence of elected chairs, but they, too, are often unavailable.
In Gazipur's Sreepur Upazila, Abu Taher of Chakpara village faced significant delays while correcting an error in his daughter’s birth certificate.
“I visited the Union Parishad six times and the Upazila Parishad twice before finally getting the corrected document four months later,” Taher said.
Sreepur's Mouna Union Chairman Jahangir Alam Khokon is in hiding, leaving Panel Chairman Motiur Rahman to manage operations.
Motiur told bdnews24.com: “I assumed responsibilities after the gazette was issued, likely around Nov 10. Since then, services have been restored, though the office website was hacked on Nov 21 and 22, disrupting online services temporarily.”
He acknowledged earlier disruptions, saying: “After the government change, the drastic transitions across the country made it impossible to provide services initially. With the chairman in hiding, we, too, refrained from attending the office during that time.”
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES OF UNION PARISHADS
Union Parishads play a pivotal role in rural administration.
Chairmen oversee disbursement of allowances, including old-age, widow, disability, and maternity benefits.
They also issue essential documents like inheritance certificates, character references, and birth or death registrations.
The councils also mediate disputes, build roads, and maintain existing infrastructure.
Although some of these processes, like birth and death registrations, have moved online, UP members are tasked with verifying documents.
The government has appointed temporary officials to fulfil registration duties in the absence of chairmen, but citizens complain the services are not as efficient.
Speaking to bdnews24.com, several affected citizens expressed their frustration.
Islam Uddin from Sunamganj, who required a birth certificate for official purposes, said: “Chairmen were easier to reach and quicker in providing certificates, but now, it’s much more difficult.”
Similar grievances were echoed by residents in other areas.
In Sreepur’s Maona Union, citizen Abu Taher recounted a four-month struggle to correct an error in a birth registration.
“I visited the Union Parishad six times and the Upazila Parishad twice. It took over four months to get the corrected document,” he said.
In Nilphamari, operations at all 60 Union Parishads are reportedly normal.
Md Sayedur Rahman, the district’s local government deputy director, said: “Where chairmen are absent, services are being provided through panel chairmen.
Abdul Latif Khan, chairman of Purbo Chatnai Union Parishad in Dimla, has continued to serve diligently.
“I was elected by the people, and I am accountable to them. I’m at the office from 9am to 5pm daily,” he told bdnews24.com.
UNION PARISHAD CHAIRMEN WARN OF PROTESTS IF REMOVED
Demands for the removal of Union Parishad chairmen, similar to the ousting of city corporation and municipal leaders, have surfaced.
However, Abdul Majid, member secretary of the Bangladesh Union Parishad Association and chairman of Kursha Union Parishad in Rangpur’s Kaunia Upazila, has strongly opposed such calls.
He told bdnews24.com: “If chairmen are removed, we will call for protests. Within seven days, we will block everything across the country.”
He claimed that 65 percent of the chairmen were elected as independent candidates, adding: “Our only demand is that no chairmen should be removed.”
At a press conference in Dhaka on Oct 16, Amzad Hossain Ashrafi, convener of the Union Parishad Association and chairman of Krishnanagar Union Parishad in Brahmanbaria’s Nabinagar Upazila, expressed alarm over the reports of potential removals.
“We are deeply concerned. Among the 1,023 chairmen, most are independent candidates, while some belong to the Awami League and other parties. Removing Union Parishad chairmen would be unjust and unprecedented in Bangladesh’s history,” he said.
IMPACT ON CITY CORPORATIONS
The impact of leadership removals is becoming evident in city corporations.
After the fall of the Awami League administration, city mayors were dismissed, leaving councillors to temporarily manage affairs until they were also replaced.
In Rangpur City Corporation, government officials were instructed to oversee the responsibilities of 33 wards.
However, the arrangement has led to significant challenges.
Kajol Mia, a resident of Ward No. 21, said: “It took me a month to get my son’s nationality certificate signed. This highlights the difficulties we’ve been facing.”
HOW ARE MUNICIPALITIES FUNCTIONING WITHOUT MAYORS?
To manage municipalities, seven-member committees have been formed, headed by Upazila Nirbahi Officers, or UNOs.
These committees now handle responsibilities previously managed by councillors and mayors, such as issuing trade licences and various certificates.
Councillors, being locals, had an intimate understanding of their wards, enabling smooth verification processes.
This familiarity is missing among the government officials now tasked with these duties, creating complications.
To address this, lists of trusted local figures, such as social workers, primary school teachers, and government high school teachers, have been compiled for certification verifications.
Citizens have been instructed to obtain attestations from these people.
Mohammad Saidur Rahman, deputy director of the Local Government Division and acting administrator of Nilphamari Municipality, claimed services have improved.
He told bdnews24.com: “Citizen services have become much easier. Officials and staff are being made to attend their offices on time.”
MIXED REACTIONS
Local government expert Tofail Ahmed acknowledged the issues but saw them as inevitable.
He said, “A little inconvenience is to be expected. With so many fleeing, alternatives have to be implemented, so some disruption is natural.”
However, he believes that the appointed officials can ensure continuity of services if they perform diligently.
When asked about citizens' frustrations, Ahmed referred to the Local Government Reform Commission, which has already begun its work.
“The government will take steps after the commission submits its report, bringing about changes,” he said.
[Writing in English by Arshi Fatiha Quazi]
