Speaking at a seminar, the committee chairmen accused the ministers and high officials of various ministries of non-cooperation with the committee moves and non-implementation of their recommendations.

They said the parliamentary committee system is not functioning properly due to the prevailing situation.

Speaker Jamiruddin Sircar, who chaired the seminar, said he would inform the prime minister and other ministers about the grievances of the committee chairmen.

Explaining the functions of parliamentary committees, the speaker said they work as a 'mini parliament' and play a vital role in strengthening the parliamentary democracy.

Echoing the speaker, Abdul Mannan, chairman of the standing committee on agriculture ministry, said the standing committees play the major role in ensuring the accountability of the government to parliament.

The Jatiya Sangsad and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) jointly organised the seminar on 'Promotion of better understanding and collaboration amongst the parliamentary committees and ministries of the government.'

Some 20 parliamentary committee chairmen, all from the ruling BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami, spoke at the seminar. They strongly criticised the ministers for their indifference to the parliamentary bodies.

They said the committees are not functioning properly as most of the ministers, secretaries and other high officials are reluctant to join parliamentary committee meetings and to provide the committees with necessary documents.

The committee chiefs demanded amendment to the Rules of Procedure to ensure that ministries are obliged to implement committees' recommendations and be accountable to the committees for not carrying out the recommendations.

Syed Manzur Hossain, chairman of the standing committee on communications ministry, said his committee came under pressure from the government high-ups when it began to probe irregularities and corruption of the ministry.

"Even a number of senior ministers have met the prime minister and demanded changes in the provision of forming the standing committees," he said. "The ministers are in favour of heading the committees instead of the non-ministers."

The previous Awami League government amended the Rules of Procedure for a non-ministers to head the standing committee instead of a minister.

Salahuddin Ahmed, chairman of the standing committee on liberation war affairs ministry, said his committee also made suggestions to the ministry to stop corruption involving crores of take in the ministry, but not a single suggestion was implemented.

Shahjahan Chowdhury, chief of the parliamentary body on housing and public works ministry, said the sub-committees of different bodies cannot to submit their reports timely due to non-cooperation of ministry officials. "Ministry officials do not provide necessary information to the committees as required," he alleged.

Mosharraf Hossain, chairman of the standing committee on Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) affairs ministry, said the ministry does not co-operate the committee when it asks for any information or any document.

About the non-implementation of the committee recommendations, Let Gen (retd) Mahbubur Rahman, chairman of the standing committee on defence ministry, said, "Not a single recommendation of any committee has been implemented yet."

"Even though the committees take decisions and make recommendations in presence of ministers, the recommendations are not implemented."

Mahbub termed the parliamentary committees 'good-for-nothing' and said, "We do not feel that the committees are above the ministries concerned."

Turning to the ongoing quorum crisis in the parliament session, the BNP lawmaker said: "It is reality that our parliament is not functioning well."

"The standing committees also suffer from the same problem. The opposition member of my committee has joined only one meeting so far," he pointed out.

Jamaat lawmaker Delwar Hossain Sayedee, chairman of the parliamentary standing committee of religious affairs ministry, said his committee had identified irregularities in the Hajj missions during the last couple of years. "We made recommendations to check the corruption and mismanagement, but the ministry did not take any action," he alleged.

Jamaat lawmaker and Chairman of the Government Assurance Committee Abdus Sobhan said he was compelled to adjourn a number of committee meetings as no official from the ministries concerned were present.

"It seems that they are not obliged to attend the standing committee meetings," he said seeking a fresh guideline specifying the relations between the ministries and the parliamentary standing committees.

Chairman of Public Undertaking Committee Abdul Aleem said they send letters to the ministers at least 15 days before any meeting. But the ministers decline to attend showing various reasons including 'state affairs.'

"Isn't joining a standing committee meeting his or her duty?" he asked. "If there is no effectiveness of the standing committees, then why should we waste public money by arranging meetings?"

Chairman of the Standing Committee on the Ministry of Textiles and Jute, MA Matin suggested amendment to the constitution by making it mandatory that ministries are bound to carry out the committees' recommendations within 90 days.

"If the ministry fails, the secretary has to explain reasons for not implementing the recommendations in 90 days," he added.

The seminar was also addressed by committee chiefs including Harun-al-Rashid, Shahidul Islam, Nurul Islam Moni, Mosharraf Hossain Mongu, Abdul Mannan Talukder, Akbar Ali, MA Matin, Nazir Hossain and Mozaher Hossain.