Local Government Elections May Begin from September–October

Local government elections may begin in phases after the monsoon season, starting from September or October this year, said Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.

He also stated that the government plans to complete elections for all local government bodies including union councils, municipalities, upazila councils, district councils, and city corporations within one year. 

The minister made the remarks on Tuesday during the question-and-answer session in the National Parliament in response to a question from Jamalpur-3 MP Mustafizur Rahman Babul. The session was chaired by Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed.

Mirza Fakhrul clarified that the elections would be held in phases depending on budget availability. The Union Parishad elections are expected to be held first, followed by other local government polls in stages. Elections for 13 city corporations, including the newly formed Bogura City Corporation, are also planned within the same timeframe.

In response to a question from ruling party MP Mohammad Shamim Kaisar, the minister said that the government has taken an initiative to construct a visitor room for MPs and senior officials at the upazila parishad complex in all upazilas of the country. An allocation of Tk 600,000 has been provided for each upazila parishad for this purpose.

Responding to a question from reserved seat MP Nilufar Chowdhury Moni, the minister assured that the daily water demand in Dhaka North and South City Corporations is 32 to 32.5 crore litres, while the production capacity of Dhaka WASA is 29.5 to 30 crore litres. He said water is treated using modern chemicals and chlorination and tested according to WHO guidelines before distribution. Dhaka WASA collects 40 to 50 water samples daily from different areas of the city for quality testing.

In response to a question from reserved seat MP Selima Rahman, the minister said household waste collection in Dhaka North City Corporation is currently managed by private individuals and organisations. Efforts are underway to bring these entities under formal contracts with the city corporation. Once the agreements are finalised, environmentally friendly waste disposal using small covered vans will be considered.

Meanwhile, in response to a question from reserved seat MP Nipun Roy Chowdhury, Mirza Fakhrul said that a new version of the birth and death registration software is being developed. It will include online payment facilities and blockchain technology to store logs of data changes, allowing authorities to track where and how information has been modified. He added that regular training is being provided to registrars and assistants across the country to improve service delivery.

Responding to a question from Naogaon-6 MP Sheikh Md. Rezaul Islam, Youth and Sports State Minister Aminul Haque said that awareness workshops are being organised in every district through the Department of Youth Development to address issues such as mobile addiction and drug abuse among young people. Awareness campaigns are also being conducted through registered youth organisations.

In response to a question from Munshiganj-1 MP Md. Abdullah, the minister said a project proposal (DPP) has been prepared to provide training and raise awareness in border districts to prevent drug addiction among youth. The feasibility study of the project has already been completed.