Reformation in Local Administration

Subsequent Bangladeshi governments have introduced administrative reform initiatives to improve public service delivery since independence in 1971. The Upazila Parishad Ordinance of 1982, and the Local Government (Upazila Parishad) Act 1998 and its subsequent amendments in 2009 and 2011 were legislative measures designed to bring about

Administrative Unit Division (4) District (21)

Sub-Division (71) Thana (478) Union (4032)

Local Authority None District Board

Local Board

Thana Board

Union Parishad

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change in the inherited traditional system at local level. Efforts to improve institutional capacity were characterized by periods of progress, followed by periods of stagnation in the 1990s and 2000s. These efforts can be traced to recommendations stemming from the Committee for Administrative Reform and Reorganization (CARR) in 1982. Among its findings, it recommended converting Thanas into Upazilas and aimed to make breakthroughs in the inherited pattern of field administration and make the local administration capable of public service delivery. CARR began the process of administrative reorganization and institutional capacity building at the local level.

The conversion of Thanas into Upazilas in early 1980s was considered as a major departure from the colonial and post-colonial set-up of ‘field administration’. This started a significant transformation from bureaucratic control to the democratic state of affairs of delivering the potential for better public service delivery. The table 21 can be shown for an elastration of the fact.

Table 21: Thana Board and Upazila Parishad Compared

Thana Upazila

All Members are accountable to the Parishad

Limited power and scope Wider power and scope

All members have voting rights Representative members have voting rights

No accountability of Civil Servants

Civil Servants are accountable to the Parishad

No Power of taxation The Parishad has certain power of Taxation

the staffing process is done by national government

Officers are deputed to the Parishad Wide control of District

Administration

Coordinating role of District administration

Source: Adopted from Murshed (1997, p. 146); As-Saber & Rabbi. (2009, p. 61).

Note: SDO = Sub- Divisional Officer

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A total of 460 Thanas as Upazila, 71 sub-divisions into districts were converted in the early 1980s. As a result, a total number of 64 districts are in existence: 42 new districts were created by upgrading sub-divisions. This process added to the existing 22 districts, unofficially known as ‘greater districts’ (Wahhab, 1996, p. 23). Figure 12 depicts the current state of administration at local level.

Figure 12: Present State of Local Administration and Governance in Bangladesh

Source: Field research, September - November, 2012 and December, 2013.

Note: the downward arrow denotes the hierarchical arrangement and the double arrow is for existence of administrative units and local

government body in operation.

Figure 12 illustrates the four tiers of local administration from division to union. The division is at the top echelon without local authority. They are seven in number. The 64 districts are in the upper tier and have government-appointed local authority. Upazilas and unions represent the lower and lowest local tiers respectively and have a directly elected local authority. They number 487 and 4488.

Administrative Unit Division (7) District (64) Upazila (487) Union (4488)

Local Authority None

Zila Parishad Upazila Parishad

Union Parishad

150

Divisions are comprised of an average number of 10 districts with an around 23 million people and covers 147,000 sq. km. A senior member of the civil bureaucracy with the rank of Joint Secretary and the status of ‘Commissioner’, known as ‘Divisional Commissioner is the head of the unit. The unit is staffed by line and staff officials along with three additional commissioners and a large number of civil servants and support staff. Their role is “confined to the issue of coordinating government activities at the district level, and is responsible for hearing appeals on the decisions of district revenue officer with regard to revenue matters” (Ahmed, 2002, p. 331). Moreover, they also play a supervisory role over departments and agencies of the government in the division.

Districts have been the traditional as well as functional upper tier of local administration in the country. They are run by an appointed local administration authority called ‘Zila Parishad’, which is headed by a government-appointed chairman. They are comprised of an average of 8 Upazilas serving 2.5 people of population and covering 2300 sq km.

Functionally, the district administration is headed by a midlevel civil bureaucrat with the rank of Deputy Secretary (DS) and the status of Deputy Commissioner, popularly known as DC. They are given assistance by line and staff officials such as Additional Deputy Commissioners (ADCs), one Additional District Magistrate (ADM), a group of Assistant Commissioners (AC), and other support staff. The primary functions of the district are revenue collection, maintaining law and order, accelerating economic development, ensuring coordination in all government activities related to nation building, and encouraging and collaborating with local self-government initiatives (GPRB, 2000, p. 15). The DC acts as the chief executive and is the principal channel of communication between the district and higher levels of government (Ahmed, 2002, p.

332).

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Upazilas are the lower tier and unit of local administrations with a functional local administration authority called the Upazila Parishad. This is headed by a directly-elected chairman. Upazilas are comprised of an average of 9 unions serving 312,000 people and covering 300 sq. km. An officer with the rank of Senior Assistant Secretary and the status of Upazila Nirbahi Officer’ (UNO) serves as the principal officer of the Upazila Parishad. A number of functional nation-building departments of the national government have sub-national level representatives in Upazila headquarters, with functionaries deputed from the national bureaucracy to work under each Upazila Parishad through general supervision of the UNO.

The Union is the lowest level tier of the local administrative structure and consists of an average number of 20 rural villages and serves an average of 34,000 people and covers 33 sq. km. An elected local authority called the Union Parishad is headed by a directly elected chairman and consists of 9 representative wards, with a number of villages are grouped into each ward. This is, in fact, without having a functional administration like Upazila. Officials in departments such as Agriculture, Livestock, Health and Family Planning also work at the Union level. They work under the direct control of the higher authorities in their respective departments and directorates at Upazila headquarters. The Parishad functions with the administrative assistance of a paid secretary. Chaukidars (the village police force) are under the direct control of this authority at the local level.

It is their duty to maintain the law and order in the village. A demographic breakdown of local administrations is shown in table 22.

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Table 22: The Demographic State of Local Administration in Bangladesh Level of

Units

No of Units

Average Units

Average Size of Population

Average Area in Sq Km

Division 7 11 District 23 Millions 147000

District 64 8 Upazilas 2.5 Millions 2300

Upazila 487 9 Unions 312 Thousands 300

Union 4488 20 Villages 34 Thousands 33

Source: Calculated from the Statistical Pocketbook 2011, GPRB (2012a).