History of Local Government in

Bangladesh (Bengal)
(Colonial Period)

Lecture 04

PA 211

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The early period of the British rule did not much touch upon the
structure of the existing local government system.
It was through the permanent settlement act 1793 that a new type
of local governance in English model more or less was
introduced replacing the traditional institutions.
Pargana system was abolished, so was the panchayet system. The
new civil and criminal justice and its adalat system became
the basis of the local government.

Zamindars and other landholders were made the natural leaders

of the society.
The zamindari institution, however, lost its potency in the later
part of the nineteenth century.

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 Bengal Chowkidari Act, 1870
The end of EAST INDIA COMPANY rule in 1858 and
parliamentary commitment to take the people of the country in
partnership in phases led to many reforms leading to
increasing participation of people in the local governance.

Thus, government passed the Bengal Chowkidari Act of 1870.

The Act tried to revive the traditional Panchayet System.
It authorised the District MAGISTRATE to appoint a panchayet
at the village level consisting of five members.
The primary function of the panchayet was to appoint village
watch-men called chowkidars for the maintenance of law and
order.
The panchayet could also assess and collect taxes from the
villagers to pay the salaries of the chowkidars. 3
 Local Self-Government Act, 1885
The most direct mode of western self governance was attempted
by Viceroy LORD RIPON (1880-1884).
His administration resolved in 1882 to introduce local self-
governing institutions in phases.
In implementing the resolution, the Bengal Council passed the
Local Self-Government Act, 1885 under which a three-tier
system of local government for rural areas was provided :
(i) a District Board in each district,
(ii) a Local Board in a sub-division of a district,
(iii) a Union Committee for a group of villages.

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The District Board was made the centre-piece in the local
government system and entrusted with extensive powers and
responsibilities.
A Local Board acted as an agent of the District Board and could
exercise only those powers delegated to it by the District
Board.
The Local Board acted as a supervising body of Union
Committees and could delegate any responsibility to Union
Committees which were designed to administer, on an
average, an area of twelve square miles in the villages.
Union Committees, consisting of not less than five or more than
nine members, were to be elected from among the residents of
the Union.

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 Village Self Government Act, 1919
The Act of 1919 initiated the second major attempt to create a network of
self-government bodies in rural Bengal. The Act replaced existing
Chowkidari, Panchayet and Union Committees by a new body called
the Union Board.
The Union Board was composed of not less than six but not more than
nine members of whom two-thirds were elected and one-third
nominated.
Nominated members were chosen by the District Magistrate. Elected
members were chosen from union residents who attained 21 years of
age and had paid at least a rupee of land tax and at least another rupee
as tax assessed by the new Board. After the election, the members
elected a president and a vice-president from among themselves.
The president was the chief executive of the Board. He could be removed
from office by a no-confidence resolution passed by two-thirds of the
members of the Board.
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Primary functions of the Union Board were:
(a) supervision of chowkidars,
(b) maintenance of sanitation and public health,
(c) maintenance of roads, bridges and waterways,
(d) establishment and upkeep of schools and dispensaries at its
discretion and
(e) supply of information as and when needed by the District
Board.

The supervision and control over the Union Board was exercised
by the CIRCLE OFFICER who served as a link between the
District Board and the Thana administration.

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During almost two hundred years of British rule (1765-1947)
over the Indian subcontinent, a number of experiments were
made with the local government system.

All the experiments were intended to devise a system that would

serve their imperial interest.

The major objective of the British in India was twofold:

1) maximization of land revenue collection and
2) maintenance of law and order.

Naturally, the British as an imperial power had little

understanding of and interest in indigenous local self-
governing institutions.

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Though in 1870 the Village Chowkidari Act in Bengal
established union Panchayats to collect tax to maintain
Chowkidars (village police), Lord Ripon's Resolution on local
self-government laid the foundation of local self-government
in rural India.

This resolution of May 18 1882 was important for two reasons: it

set out general principles for development of local institutions
in the future and provided the rationale behind functions of
local bodies.

The Rippon resolution was passed in 1885 as the Bengal Local

Self-Government Act III of 1885.

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In the arena of urban local government, British policy resulted in
setting-up a municipal administration in the Presidencies and
giving responsibilities to municipal committees for a number
of civic amenities.
But until the 1870s, officials or their designated representatives
ran urban local government bodies.
Gradually Municipalities became representative bodies with the
promulgation of a number of acts between 1870 and 1947.
These acts, among other things, introduced election as a mode of
choosing one's representative and subsequently extended its
coverage.
But Chairmen and Vice Chairmen of the Municipalities
continued to be elected indirectly by the popularly elected
commissioners.

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One of the acts, the Bengal Municipal Act of 1932, strengthened
the powers of Municipalities in levying rates and taxes and in
the utilization of funds.
But the same act provided considerable powers, to the
government and local officials to inspect, supervise and
control Municipalities and negated the powers of taxation of
local level bodies to a large degree.

Union boards consisted of two-thirds elected members while the

rest were nominated. The Chairman was elected among
members of the union boards. The boards were given a
number of specific responsibilities including the authority to
levy taxes. By the end of the 1920s district boards were
functioning under the stewardship of non-official chairmen.

The End 11