75.29 pc wants UZ system

Prof Dr Salahuddin Aminuzzaman of Public Administration and Chairman of Development Studies Department conducted the survey among 2250 people of 21 old districts.

Among the respondents, 84.60 per cent of the elected representatives of Union Parishad suggested immediate reintroduction of the upazila system.

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Respondents of the survey included students, lawyers, local level political leaders and activists, small businessman, agricultural workers, farmers, UP elected leaders, school and college teachers.

Division-wise distribution of data reveal that the highest 82.67 per cent of the respondents from Rajshahi division favour immediate reintroduction of the upazila system while the lowest 70.40 per cent was from Chittagong division.

According to the survey, 70.60 per cent of its respondents acknowledged that the system helped develop infrastructures in upazilas and 60.27 per cent noted that the upazila system did help create a strong base for local government system and initiated a process of local level resource mobilisation.

Of the respondents, 66.06 per cent were of the view that the upazila system made the local level bureaucracy accountable to local leadership.

Among the respondents, 74.14 per cent said the upazila system must be kept outside the control of local MPs and 71 per cent suggested that it must not work as local party unit of the ruling party.