The government has brought about a major reshuffle in upazila administration ahead of the 13th National Parliament elections. The Ministry of Public Administration on Wednesday issued eight separate notifications appointing senior assistant secretaries as new Upazila Nirbahi Officers (UNOs) in 166 upazilas of the country in the first phase.
The newly appointed UNOs have also been given the powers of Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code to perform their duties as executive magistrates. Government officials said this step is in line with the importance of law and order in the pre-election period.
The notification states that the appointed officers will have to join their respective workplaces by November 30. If they do not join at the scheduled time, they will be considered as stand-released from their current workplace from that afternoon. If an officer’s previous office changes, he/she will have to submit a joining letter mentioning the address of the revised office.
This is the biggest reshuffle in the field administration surrounding the election in the last few weeks , which is seen as part of preparations to ensure a fair electoral environment.