Land ministry moves services online to fight harassment; corruption remains key challenge: Officials
Senior land Secretary ASM Saleh Ahmed acknowledged the deep-seated issues that plague the sector, stating that a major task ahead is the digitalisation of land surveys
The land ministry has launched five new online services since last December to minimise public harassment, which Senior Land Secretary ASM Saleh Ahmed acknowledged is rampant in land-related work.
Despite these digital strides, ministry officials admit that corruption, ensuring data accuracy, and maintaining cybersecurity remain the primary challenges to establishing good governance.
The land secretary made the remarks at a seminar titled "Role of Media in People-Friendly Land Services," organised by the Bangladesh Secretariat Reporters Forum (BSRF).
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"The highest level of public harassment is associated with land work. There is a lot of harassment in land offices," Ahmed said, explaining that the shift to online services is intended to bring land services to the people's doorstep.
The senior secretary acknowledged the deep-seated issues that plague the sector, stating that a major task ahead is the digitalisation of land surveys.
"About 80% of court cases in the country are land-related," he said. "If surveys are not done correctly online, land disputes will not decrease."
He noted that while the original CS survey took 52 years, modern zoning and technology will significantly reduce the time required for accurate digital surveys.
Adding to the senior secretary's points, Additional Secretary Md Emdadul Haque Chowdhury stated that the biggest problem in the land sector is reducing corruption, establishing good governance, and simplifying civic services.
He identified vendor dependency, ensuring accurate data through digital surveys, and establishing robust cybersecurity as major challenges.
He also pointed out the issue of corruption outside the ministry's control saying, "All complaints come against the land ministry. There are brokers at various stages of land services. But the ministry doesn't handle all land-related work; the law ministry also does, especially deeds."
There are nearly 10 lakh land-related cases currently pending across the country.
Chowdhury highlighted progress in digital services stating that land development tax collection increased by Tk22 crore in the 2024-25 fiscal year compared to the previous year, totaling Tk1,154 crore.
In the first three months of the current fiscal year, Tk373 crore was collected, up from Tk286 crore in the same period last year.
Additionally, mutation applications jumped to 17.76 lakh in the first three months of the current fiscal, compared to 13 lakh in the same period of the previous year. The number of citizens taking dakhila (receipts for land tax) rose from 27 lakh in 2023-24 to 38 lakh in FY2024-25.
However, the additional land secretary admitted that not all six crore khatians (records of rights) have been successfully moved to the online system, and errors in holding records persist, which the ministry is working to resolve.
The land ministry has established 820 Land Service Assistance Centers across 61 districts to help citizens navigate the complex online mutation process. The application fee at the Upazila-level has been set at Tk270.
Senior Secretary ASM Saleh Ahmed concluded that the ministry cannot achieve an "honest, transparent land management" system alone and requires the cooperation of media and other stakeholders.
