They also called on the government to increase budgetary allocation for the local government institutions, allow them to mobilise its own resources and determine the role of lawmakers with regard to the local government.

Bangladesh Centre for Communications Programme (BCCP) organised the workshop on 'The role of media in strengthening local government' in association with Democratic Local Governance Programme (DLGP), the USAID and RTI International at Cirdap auditorium in the city.

"The local government cannot be strong enough in a country where the local government ministry is too strong and intends to control it," said Dr Mahabbat Khan, a professor of public administration at Dhaka University (DU).

The interference by lawmakers also diminishes the power of the local government representatives, he added.

Prof Dr Salahuddin Alimuzzaman said it seems that the local government institutions act like a front organisation of the ruling party.

They should be independent and a local government commission, not any ministry, should control them, he added.

According to the constitution, the government should encourage the local government institutions, not control them, said Advocate Azmatullah Khan, president of Municipality Association of Bangladesh.

But some local government institutions are run by administrative officials, which is a violation of the constitution, he added.

"Although laws allow the local government institutions to realise holding taxes, we cannot do it because of executive orders," he said.

Dr Badiul Alam Majumder, country director of The Hunger Project, said inadequate budgetary allocation for the local government institutions leads to rural poverty, widening economic disparity between rural and urban areas.

Prof Dr Tofael Ahmed of Chittagong University suggested formulating a common law for all types of local government institutions.

Reazuddin Ahmed, editor of The News Today, said the local government is highly dependent on the central government.

Stressing the need for transparency and accountability of the local government, he said a strong movement should be waged to force the government to give the local government institutions due authority in order to ensure democracy at the grassroots level.

The speakers also said the media should focus on the activities and problems of these institutions.

Dr Asif Nazrul, journalist and columnist Zaglul Ahmed Chowdhury, Ajoy Das Gupta, assistant editor of the daily Samakal, Selina Rahman Ivy, chairman of Narayanganj Pourasava, and AKM Mozammel Hossain, chairman of Gazipur Pourasava, also spoke at the workshop chaired by Lamar Cravens, chief of the party of DLGP.