Dhaka: The Local Government Reform Commission has recommended transferring the control, management, and monitoring of union parishads, upazila parishads, and municipalities in the Hill Tracts to the Ministry of Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) Affairs. It also suggested that the Local Government Division could transfer the national budgetary allocation of local government institutions in hill areas to the ministry annually.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, a commission led by Professor Tofail Ahmed was established on November 18 to propose necessary reforms to strengthen and make local government effective. The initial report of the reform commission, published on the commission’s website, indicates that due to a delay in starting the work fully, additional time will be needed to complete the comprehensive report.
Meanwhile, the government is engaging in discussions about the reforms with national leaders by forming a National Consensus Commission. To facilitate the process of discussion and consensus-building, the Local Government Reform Commission has decided to present some initial basic recommendations for discussion by the government and the Consensus Commission.
Two additional chapters have been included in the initial recommendations: an opinion survey conducted by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics among 46,680 respondents across the country, and a chapter on elections. The recommendations highlighted that the Chittagong Hill Tracts is recognized as a “special region” with geographical diversity and a total of 13 different ethnic groups, including Bengalis, residing there.
Within this region, there is a traditional headman, a circle head, a market fund, a statutory union council, an upazila council, a municipality, a district council (formed under a special law), and a regional council consisting of three districts. Among these seven institutions, only the “market fund” institution is recommended for abolition, with its revenue being collected under the control of the upazila council and distributed proportionately among Union Parishad, Municipal Circle Chief, and the national government.
The recommendation also proposed that the election schedule for the Hill District Council be announced by 2025 after making necessary amendments to the District Council Act. There have been no elections to the Hill District Council since 1989, leading to a loss of political legitimacy.
The next Jatiya Sangsad will decide on the amendment of the Regional Council Act and the elections. The commission emphasized the need to create separate manpower, conduct land surveys at three levels, and establish a union and municipality-based citizen information repository in the Chittagong Hill Tracts by 2026.
The commission stressed that peace and stability in the hilly regions will not be sustainable without widespread employment, public security, and cutting off links to subversive activities outside the border. The main goal and task of local governments in the Chittagong Hill Tracts should be to ensure the participation of all ethnic groups in governance and development.