Negligence in land service won’t be tolerated: Land secy

Senior Secretary to land ministry ASM Saleh Ahmed today (5 March) said the land ministry is committed to providing hassle-free services to the public, and any evidence of negligence in service delivery will not be tolerated.

"The ministry is determined to eliminate harassment in land services. If any evidence of negligence in service delivery is found against anyone, no mercy will be shown," he told after inaugurating a learning session titled 'Land Service Assistance Guidelines-2025' at the Ministry's conference room.

Saleh Ahmed said the new 'Land Service Assistance Guidelines-2025' have been introduced to ensure citizen-friendly land services.

"The guidelines were created to prevent people from falling victim to any form of exploitation when seeking land services and are expected to open new horizons in land service delivery," he said.

The guidelines will allow citizens to better understand how to access services and who to approach for different services, ensuring they do not become prey to external influences, he added.

Ahmed added, "Land ministry and its affiliated departments have been working tirelessly to establish efficient, transparent, and citizen-friendly land management practices. With the touch of digital technology, the outdated and time-consuming land services are changing."

Services that used to require customers to wait for days are now available at their fingertips, he said, adding, "The Ministry has plans to modernize the traditional land management system by integrating it into a digital platform."

Regarding the guidelines, the Senior Secretary said the main objectives are to ensure the sustainability of digital land services, simplify the process of accessing land services, provide assistance and cooperation in service uptake, and create a legislative framework for information security.

In many countries, "Agency Service" has become very popular in the citizen application process for government services, he said, adding, "In light of this, the Land Service Assistance Guidelines-2025 have been introduced to provide improved services and solve citizens' existing problems."   

As of now, three land service assistance centers have been piloted in Keraniganj, one in Ramna (Dhanmondi), and one in Tejgaon. Additionally, eight more centers are expected to be launched in the near future.

Additional secretaries and senior officials of the ministry were also present on the occasion.