LGRD and Cooperatives Minister Md Tajul Islam called upon all concerned to further strengthen all institutions of the Local Government Division (LGD) across the country by making those economically self-reliant.
He said this on Monday while addressing an online board meeting of Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) from his ministry office at the secretariat.
DNCC Mayor Atiqul Islam chaired the meeting joined by ward councilors.
Tajul urged the public representatives of the DNCC to stand by the people in their well and woes ensuring all civic amenities including road communication, health and education facilities and safety measures for them.
“The citizens will have to be encouraged in paying taxes so that they can realize they will get facilities worth Taka 1 lakh in return of paying taxes if Tk 1,000,” he said.
In that way, the LGRD minister said, a happy, peaceful and prosperous atmosphere will prevail in localities with ensuring civic facilities in one hand and making LGRD bodies economically self-reliant and stronger, on the other hand.
Tajul said fixing the amount of tax must be balanced as there should not have any partiality in this regard.
He said a checklist will be prepared of those public representatives who will make better performance in ensuring all civic amenities including keeping their respective areas neat and clean and free from aedes mosquitoes borne diseases, lessening water-logging problem, ensuring fundamental rights of people, expanding social values and realizing expected taxes. Successful local body representatives will be given rewards, he added.
The minister reiterated his call to form committees comprising representatives of all professions and classes after dividing the total areas of respective wards in zones to speed up the activities of the ward councilors of the city corporations.
Team leaders of those committees will also be given rewards on the basis of their performance, he added.
He said good works must be appreciated to further accelerate the pace of development activities of the country.
Tajul urged the public representatives to devise innovative ideas to expand civic amenities without waiting for directives from anyone.
The ministry will provide all-out support and ensure security to the public representatives if anyone faces any trouble or obstacle in discharging his or her duties, he added.
Mentioning that the people are the owners of the country, the minister said there is no alternative to engage the masses in development endeavours to take the country ahead.
