DHAKA: Peoples’ representatives and intellectuals Sunday underscored the need for introducing party-based local government elections and formulating a legal framework to make the local body self-reliant.  

They also demanded enactment and implementation of ‘Comprehensive democratic decentralisation policy’ canceling the government initiative to run local bodies by adhoc administration.

But the elections to the local bodies, which were expired, should be held by 2010, they said.

The recommendations came from a roundtable on local government issues at the National Press Club.

Governance Advocacy Forum (GAF) organised the roundtable with economist Dr Kazi Khaliquzzaman Ahmad in the chair.

Addressing the roundtable Justice Mohammad Golam Rabbani said the Upazila Parisad Act contradicts the Constitution as the local lawmakers are advisors to the Upazila Parisad under the act.

GAF’s National Project Coordinator Akmat Ali Mia presented a keynote.

Fazle Hossain Badsha MP, Anisul Islam Mandal MP, Syeda Ashifa Ashrafi Papia MP, GAF Coordinator Mohsin Ali, among others, spoke on the roundtable.

BDST: 1807 HRS, AUGUST 22, 2010.