They made the call at a workshop on 'Gender and Development' in the capital yesterday, organnised jointly by Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) and Local Govern-ment Engineering Department (LGED).

The women commissioners said although they represent three wards each, allocation of development funds for them is one third of that given to a male commissioner, who represents one ward.

"We won direct election overcoming many social hurdles. But the discrimination is discouraging us to take part in the next election," said Fatema Johora Rani, a ward commissioner of Mymensingh Pourasabha.

Anjuman Sarkar, another ward commissioner from Mymensingh, said their duties and responsibilities are stressed only at seminars and discussions. But these are not materialised, she regretted.

"We won the polls race pledging a lot to voters. But now we cannot do anything for them. If we ask our pourasabha chairman about this, he says the government has not given any guidelines for you," she said.

Salma Akhter, a ward commissioner from Munshiganj Pourasa-bha, said "The problems we are facing can be resolved if the government gives a guideline specifying our work."

Ward commissioners Shamima Akhter and Hamida Begum from Brahmanbaria and Saida Akhter from Jamalpur Pourasabha also expressed similar views.

Asian Development Bank (ADB) consultant Saiyid Musharraf Hussain, Christine Pomerieau, a social development expert, and Ferdousi Sultana of the ADB presented papers at the workshop chaired by Khaleda Shahariar Kabir of the BWDB.