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1. THE ASSIGNMENT Of UPAZILA PARISHAD
INTRODUCTION:
Bangladesh has a unitary form of government. The President is the Head of State and the Prime
Minister is the Head of Government. The Prime Minister is assisted by a Council of Ministers.
The permanent office-in-charge of the Ministries Divisions is designated as Secretary who
belongs to the Civil Service. For administrative purposes, the country is divided into seven
divisions, each headed by a Divisional Commissioner. There are 64 districts under the 7
Divisions. The district is administered by a Deputy Commissioner who is assisted by Additional
Deputy Commissioners. The District has a Zilla Parishad headed by a Chairman. The Districts
are divided into Upazilas headed by a Upazila Chairman. Currently, there are 583 Upazilas in
Bangladesh. After revisions of its structure by different governments, the local government
system now has three tiers--union parishad, upazila parishad and zila parishad.
Upazilas were formerly known as thana which literally means police station. Despite the
meaning, thanas functioned much as an administrative and
geographic region, much as today's upazilas. In 1982 thanas were re-termed to as upazilas with
provisions for semi-autonomous local governance. This
system was reverted to the thana system in 1992. Later in 1999 geographic regions under
administrations of thanas were converted into upazilas.All administrative terms in this level were
renamed from thana to upazilla. For instance, Thana Nirbahi Officer (lit.Thana Executive
Officer) was renamed to
Upazilla Nirbahi Officer (lit.Upazilla Executive Officer). The word thana is now used to solely
refer to police stations. Generally, there is one police station for
each upazilla; but larger administrative units may have more than one police station covering
different regions. The upazilas are the second lowest tier of regional admin.
CONSTITUTION:
The Constitutional sanctions for Local government are described in chapter III of the
Constitution: articles 59 and 60.
Article 59 reads as under:
59. 1) Local government in every administrative unit of the Republic shall be entrusted to bodies,
composed of persons elected in accordance with law.

2. Every body such as is referred to in clause (1) shall, subject to this Constitution and any other
law, perform within the appropriate administrative unit such functions as shall be prescribed by
Act of Parliament, which may include functions relating to—
a) administration and the work of public officers;
b) the maintenance of public order;
c) the preparation and implementation of plans relating to
public service and economic development.
Article 60 stipulates that
60. For the purpose of giving full effect to the provisions of articles 59 parliament shall, by law,
confer powers on the local government bodies referred to in that article, including power to
impose taxes for local purposes, to prepare their budgets and to maintain funds.
Article 59 has two clauses. The first makes it mandatory to set up local government in every
administrative unit of the Republic to be composed of elected persons.
The term administrative unit is defined in the constitution. It specifically refers to the District to
be an administrative unit and goes on to add any other unit declared by law to be an
administrative.
In fact district as a unit of administration got legal recognition way back in 1836 when The
Districts Act was enacted.
Now all local government bodies are declared by their respective laws to be administrative units.
This followed a Supreme Court verdict on the issue of abolition of Upazila in 1991.
The abolition of Upazila was challenged. On appeal, the Supreme Court Division ruled that since
the law on Upazila did not declare in to be an administrative unit, it was not mandatory for the
government to set up Upazila. This declaration in all local government laws is essential.
Article 59 (1) makes it mandatory for the government to establish in every administrative unites
local government bodies shall be composed of elected persons. After 1972, the reality is that the
government could not initially establish elected local bodies. Except for Union Parishads, such
bodies did not have elected persons. Zila Parishad, for instance, remains unelected till date. It is
not known when such parishad will be elected.
As for the Thana, it went through a trial and error until Upazila was created after 1982 only to be
abolished in 19991. It was revived again in 2009. Even then it is not free from conflicts.

3. STRUCTURE:
A upazila parishad consists of a chairman, two vice-chairpersons (one of them a woman),
chairmen of all union parishads under the upazila concerned, mayors of all municipalities, if
there are any, and women members of the reserved seat.
 The chairman and vice-chairpersons are going to be elected today. One-third of the total
women members from reserved seats of union parishad under an upazila will be the upazila
parishad members. The women members of the reserved seat of the union parishad will elect
them.
The upazila parishad chairman and vice-chairpersons will have to resign from their party posts if
they hold any.
The vice-chairpersons will elect a two-member chairman panel within one month of the first
meeting of the parishad. A vice-chairperson from the panel will serve as the chairman if the
elected chairman fails to carry out their duty for absence, illness or any other reason.
Upon suggestions of the Local Government Commission, the government can suspend any
chairmen, vice-chairpersons and women members temporarily if their work goes against the
parishad's interest or seems "unexpected" from administrative point of view.
But, they will be allowed to give their statement before that.
MEETING AND STANDING COMMITTEES:
The upazila parishad will hold at least one meeting a month at its office.For executing its
activities smoothly, the parishad will form at least nine standing committees on different issues
with the duration of maximum two and a half years within a month of the first meeting. At least
one-third elected women members from the reserved seats will be the presidents of these
standing committees, each consisting of five-seven members.
If needed, the committees can appoint experts but they will not have any right to franchise.
The committees will be on law and order; health and family planning; agriculture, fisheries,
livestock, irrigation and environment; education; social welfare, women and children
development; sports, culture and youth development; communication and infrastructural
development; establishment, finance and accounts and monitoring and evaluation.The parishad
can also form additional standing committees if needed.

4. EXECUTIVE POWER:
The chairman of the upazila parishad will enforce executive power to implement the decisions
taken by the parishad.
An upazila parishad chairman's duties include chairing and conducting parishad meetings,
monitoring and controlling all officers and employees, meeting financial expenditure of certain
limits fixed by the government and commission. The chairman will also prepare the annual
confidential reports of all officers and employees of the parishad.
The chairman will supervise all accounts of the parishad with the join signature of the upazila
nirbahi officer (UNO).
FUNCTIONS:
The functions of upazila parishad include dealing with administrative and establishment issues,
ensuring law and order and services related to peoples' welfare, and formulation and
implementation of local economic and social development planning.
Preparing development planning for five-year terms or so, construction, repair and maintenance
of linking road under the upazila, initiating and implementing small irrigation projects, creation
of jobs and initiating programmes to reduce poverty are major duties of the parishad. Besides,
the parishad will regularly send report on the upazila's law and order to the district committees
on law and order and other high authorities.
The parishad will also publish citizens' charter accommodating the description, conditions and
duration of the service it would render to the people.
COMPOSITION:
In 1976, General Ziaur Rahman promulgated a local government ordinance providing for zila
parishad in each district.
Though the ordinance said the parishads shall be composed of elected representatives for a five-
year term, no elections have yet been held. Instead, deputy commissioners were appointed ex-
officio chairmen of the parishads. Two years after promulgation of the ordinance, the country's
first military ruler amended the constitution through a martial law proclamation to bring back the
provision requiring the government to promote local government institutions. Grabbing state
power in 1982, General HM Ershad introduced upazila parishads. During his rule, he
promulgated an ordinance and five acts including the zila parishad act of 1988. Each thana was

5. upgraded to upazila and designated as focal point of administration with responsibility for all
local development activities.
The central government retained the authority to oversee regulatory functions and major
development activities of national and regional importance. Ershad regime held two upazila
elections--one in 1985 and the other in 1990.
Zila parishads constituted under the act of 1988 worked up to 1990. With the downfall of Ershad,
the zila parishad chairmen, most of whom were MPs from Ershad's Jatiya Party, were removed
and DCs returned as ex-officio chairmen.
The BNP-led government also abolished the upazila system shortly after coming to power in
1991. Things did not improve even after reintroduction of the constitutional provisions on local
government in 1991. The zila parishads continued functioning under the act of 1988 during the
BNP rule between 1991 and 1996. In 2000, the AL-led government repealed the zila parishad act
of 1988 and framed a new law providing for direct election to the parishads. But up till now, no
election has been held, allowing the bureaucrats to run the parishads. In 1998, the AL-led
government reinstated the upazila system. But over 12 more years were needed to hold elections.
Upazila polls were finally held in January last year, but the elected representatives have not yet
been able to do much due to opposition from local administration and interference from the
lawmakers who are advisers to the parishads.
Though elections to union parishads, the lowest tier of local government, were held almost
regularly since independence, no major reforms have been made to strengthen them. Union
parishad elections were held in 1973, 1977, 1983, 1988, 1992, 1997 and 2003. The present union
parishads are facing a legitimacy crisis, as two years have passed since expiry of their tenure.The
last union parishad elections were held between January 25 and March 16 in 2003. The next
elections were supposed to be held in early 2008, but that could not happen as the country was
under a state of emergency and there was no union parishad act.
An Opinion survey on a Upazila parishad :
The main purpose of this study is to focus out the impact on introducing the upazila parishad
system at rural society in Bangladesh to provide better service to the mass people through local
government.
A questionnaire survey was conducted on the Advisor of the upazila parishad, the members of
the upazila parishad i.e elected representatives and at least 9 deputed officials and at least 10
general people like teacher, businessman, day labourer, contractor, beneficiary of social safety
net programs, student of higher education and community leader (i.e Imam), etc at study area.
Since this is a new system in upazila, our course management feels that it is a timely initiative
for entry level civil servants on introduction of upazila parishad. So they have selected the title of
the village study “Ongoing activities of Upazila Parishad: an opinion survey”.
To fulfill the study some objectives are selected. The main objectives of this study are as
follows:
 familiarize with the Upazila Parishad administrative body, MP, Upazila Chairman,
Businessman, Contractor, Local people and their views.
 To asses the views of Upazila Parishad adviser i.e Local MP.

6.  To asses the ongoing activities of Upazila Parishad and how it is effective for the local
government system.
 To get the understanding that how people are benefited after the reinstating of the Upazila
Parishad.
 How committees have been formed and how they are working for the welfare of the
common people of the respective Upazila.
 people’s view about the Upazila Parishad ?
 give and find the proper knowledge about the ongoing terms “Ongoing activities of
Upazila parishad: An opinion Survey”.
We conducted our study at Lohagora upazila under the district of Chittagong. In our study area
our target groups (respondents) were categorized into three groups which were:
a) The Advisor of the UZP of the selected upazila who is the member of the parliament of that area.
b) The members of the UZP i.e the elected representatives and deputed officials of that upazila(total
respondents 30).
c) The general people which were categorized depending on different types of professions like
teacher,businessman,day labour, contractor,beneficiaries of the social safety net
programme,student of higher education(graduate level),community leader i.e Imam(total
respondents 10,among them 4 respondents must be female).
FINANCIAL RESOURCES:
Every upazila parishad will have a fund. Government grants, income from local sources, grants
from other parishads or local authorities, loans granted by the government, money collected from
taxes and fees, and incomes and benefits from schools, hospitals, dispensaries, buildings and
organisations run by the parishad will be deposited in the fund.
The government-fixed portions of income from local markets, jal mahals and ferry ghats under
the upazila will go to the fund. Taxes and fees on cinemas, drama and jatra, fair, business and
occupation will also go to it.
Every parishad will prepare its budget two months before the start of a fiscal year and hang its
copy for at least 15 days to inform people about it and receive suggestion and comments from
the people.
After considering their suggestion, the parishad will approve the budget 30 days before the start
of a fiscal year and send a copy to the deputy commissioner (DC).
If a parishad fails to approve its budget in time, the DC will prepare a list of income and
expenditure, which will be approved as the budget of that upazila for the year.

7. The accounts of the parishad will be examined by an appointed auditor in a specific process.
Upon suggestion of the commission the government will formulate the audit related rules for
inconsistency or irregularities of accounts, damage or waste of assets and other aspects. All
members will be bound to give information to the auditor, who will inform the DC if anybody
defies.
istration in Bangladesh
Conclusion:
According to the constitution and Upazila Parishad Act, the functions of the parishads include
dealing with local administrative and establishment issues, ensuring law and order and services
related to public welfare, and formulation and implementation of local economic and social
development plans. Lawmakers, who were made advisers to the upazila parishads, have also
been controlling many local development activities engaging their party people to ensure their
stronghold in the areas. Under such circumstances, over 1,400 elected chairmen and vice-
chairmen of 481 upazila parishads across the country have not received any remuneration since
their elections on January 22 this year, as the government has yet to fix the amount. They are not
even getting any fund for running their offices.