Putting aside political affiliations, they deliberated on good governance and transparency in functioning of local governments to deliver goods to the grassroots level people.

Local governments form the lowest tier of democratic institutions, and these have to be strengthened to consolidate democracy, the speakers, both make and female, said.

A total of 231 UP chairmen and members attended the meeting on 'Union Parishad Netwroking'held on September 29 under the joint auspices of ARD-LGI, an international NGO and Uttaran, a local NGO.

Alipur UP Chairman Abdur Rouf presided over the meeting, held at the Shaheed Abdur Razzak Auditorium at Satkhira town.

Dr William James Kartiar, Chief of Party, ARD-LGI, was the chief guest while Zarina Rahman Khan, Deputy Chief of Party, ARD-LGI, Shahidul Islam, Director Uttaran, Kajal Chatterjec and advocate Syed Iftekkhar Ali were present as special guests.

It was addressed by, among others, UP chairmen Asadul Haq, Yunus Ali Sana, Sheikh Alamgir Haidar, Pranab Ghosh Bablu, Hasan Aziz Ahmed and Syed Shakhawat Hossain and UP members Abdur Rouf and Monowara Khatun.

Dr Kartiar said there is no alternative to strengthening local governments to consolidate democracy.

Zarina Rahman said local governments are the grassroots level democratic institutions. So, to strengthen democracy and ensure good governance, local governments have to be strengthened.

"It is the demand of time to form autonomous Union Parishads to serve the grassroots people and to ensure their rights", she said.

At the meeting, a 21-member Satkhira district unit of the National Union Parishad Forum was formed. It is headed by Abdur Rouf and SM Jaglul Haidar as president and general secretary respectively.