Administrators Appointed To Four New Bogura Unions

The Local Government Division has officially appointed administrators to four newly established union parishads within the Shibganj and Mokamtala areas of Bogura district. This administrative development occurred amidst intense controversy and widespread political criticism surrounding the naming nomenclature of these newly formed local government tiers. The official appointments were formally confirmed on Thursday, 18 June, by Razia Sultana, the Deputy Director of the Local Government Division for the Bogura district authority.

Allocation of Administrative Responsibilities

According to the official directives, specific government officials have been assigned to oversee the operations of each new union parishad to ensure the continuity of public services. The appointments have been distributed as follows:

• Mirbari Union Parishad (Shibganj): Alocated to the Upazila Agriculture Officer, Abdul Hannan, who will serve as the designated administrator.

• Swarnagram Union Parishad (Mokamtala): Placed under the administrative charge of the Upazila Project Implementation Officer, Zohirul Islam.

• Seemanto Union Parishad (Mokamtala): Assigned to Nazmul Hossain, who currently serves as the Assistant Engineer of the Department of Public Health Engineering at the upazila level.

• Digonto Union Parishad (Mokamtala): Placed under the leadership of the Upazila Rural Development Officer, Al Mamun.

The Naming Controversy and Political Response

A significant amount of public dissatisfaction emerged in the locality regarding the naming of the new administrative units. Specifically, the newly formed union in Shibganj was named “Mirbari”, which happens to share the exact name of the ancestral residence of Mir Shahe Alam, the State Minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Co-operatives, who also serves as the Member of Parliament representing the Bogura-2 (Shibganj) constituency.

Furthermore, the controversy escalated to a national level due to the naming of the Seemanto and Digonto union parishads in Mokamtala. Critics pointed out that the names of these two local government jurisdictions directly mirror the names of the State Minister’s two sons, namely Mir Shakrul Alam Seemanto and Mir Saklain Alam Digonto.

This situation led to parliamentary scrutiny on Monday, when State Minister Mir Shahe Alam faced critical questioning regarding the matter during a session in the National Parliament. In response to the criticisms, the State Minister delivered a personal explanation on the floor of the House. He strongly defended the naming process, asserting that the specific names had been formally proposed only after thorough verification and public hearings conducted by the respective Upazila Nirbahi Officer and the District Commissioner. He maintained that the resemblance between the union names and his sons’ names was entirely coincidental, arguing that if he had harboured any personal motive, he would have insisted on prefixing the family name “Mir” to the titles of the unions.

Legal Framework and Local Opposition

Local Government Division officials stated that the administrators were appointed in accordance with Section 18 of the Local Government (Union Parishad) Act 2009. This legal provision allows for the temporary installation of official administrators to maintain vital administrative functions and uninterrupted public service delivery for the residents. The appointments were finalized by the Ministry of Local Government following a formal proposal submitted by the Upazila Nirbahi Officer of Shibganj.

Conversely, serious allegations have been raised at the grassroots level by local residents. Local community members claim they were completely unaware of the naming decisions. Furthermore, local actors state that no evidence can be found to substantiate the official claims that public hearings were ever held regarding the naming of these four jurisdictions. Despite these ongoing local disputes and unresolved contentions, the formal initiation of administrative activities in these four unions has commenced through the legal deployment of these state administrators.