City Desk :Speakers at an advocacy meeting mentioned that there should be adequate measures of making all the poor and distressed litigants particularly ethnic minority people aware about the existing cost-free legal aid services so that they could derive total benefits of the services. They viewed that besides the government level National Legal Aid services, various development organizations are implementing need-based projects in order to provide legal aid services to the marginalized litigants including the ethnic minorities free of cost.Rajshahi Unit of Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust (BLAST) organized the meeting titled “Barriers in Getting Legal Aid and Justice of Local People and Tasks” held at Tanore Upazila Parishad auditorium yesterday. Community Legal Services (CLS) supported the programme with financial support from UKaid. More than 50 public representatives, government and non-government officials concerned and other stakeholders attended the meeting. Upazila Nirbahi Officer Mamunur Rashid addressed the meeting as chief guest while Upazila Vice-chairmen Abdur Rahim and Bondona Rani Pramanik spoke as special guests. Upazila Women Affairs Officer Farida Parveen, BLAST Director (Advocacy and Coordinator) Mahabuba Akhtar, Adviser (Community Justice) Advocate Tajul Islam and Senior Advocacy Officer Farjana Fatema also spoke. BLAST local unit Coordinator Advocate Abdus Samad moderated the discussion.
