Top officials of the local administration are struggling to manage heavy workload as they have been given additional duties by the interim government after the fall of Sheikh Hasina-led government.
Alongside their regular duties, divisional commissioners, deputy commissioners (DCs), upazila nirbahi officers (UNOs) and other officials are now performing duties as administrators of city corporations, municipalities, zilla parishads and upazila parishads across the country.
“We have been assigned to carry out additional duties after the political changeover. Although it’s a mammoth task, we’re trying to perform our responsibilities properly. We hope everything will be all right very soon,” said Farzana Islam, UNO of Kanaighat upazila in Sylhet.
The interim government last month removed all the mayors of 12 city corporations, mayors of 330 municipalities, chairmen of 61 zilla parishads and chairmen of nearly 500 upazila parishads across the country.
The government appointed additional deputy commissioners and assistant commissioners (land) and other officials as administrators for the 330 municipalities.
The DCs are serving as the administrators of 53 zilla parishads, while divisional commissioners as administrators of Dhaka, Chattogram, Rajshahi, Khulna, Sylhet, Mymensingh, Rangpur, and Barishal zilla parishads. The UNOs are performing the duties as administrators at 495 upazila parishads.
Divisional commissioners and some other officials have been given the charge of city corporations.
The government also assigned the DCs and UNOs to perform duties as the presidents of managing committees or governing bodies of the non-government educational institutions across the country.
Apart from this, the divisional commissioners at the metropolitan level will perform as in-charge of president of the non-government educational institutions.
The government removed the presidents of governing bodies and managing committees in all the non-government educational institutions across the country.
In the context of the current situation, it has become difficult for the local administration to carry out the duties of the president of 40 to 50 schools, colleges and madrasas in the same upazila or district towns in addition to performing duties as administrators and regular duties.
An official of local administration said the functions of the managing committees or governing bodies of the schools, colleges and madrasas across the country are about to collapse as government officials heading the bodies find it hard to cope with the mammoth task alongside the regular duties of DCs and UNOs.
On an average, a local government official is now president 40 to 50 managing committees or governing bodies. The officials now bear the burden of overseeing the financial, development and administrative activities of the non-government schools, colleges and madrasas.
“Principal of our college has resigned and so, we can’ have a meeting with UNO as he is very busy with carrying out mammoth task. Our college is running without even acting principal for some days,” said Md Mainuddin, a senior teacher of Gachhbari Ideal College in Sylhet.
“I am now president in-charge of about 50 educational institutions’ managing committees or governing bodies. Every day I have to hold some meetings of these committees which hinders my regular official duties,” said Farzana Islam, UNO of Kanaighat upazila in Sylhet.
