The Land Minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury has said that the government has taken an initiative of appointing district-based agents to provide land services to the citizens. Private agentship policies are also being developed to support this initiative.
The Minister was speaking as the chief guest at a dialogue titled, 'Recent Initiatives in Land Management and Citizen Rights' at the BRAC Center Inn in Mohakhali organized by 'Citizen's Platform for SDGs, Bangladesh' and 'Manusher Jonno Foundation' on Thursday. Land Secretary Md Mustafizur Rahman PAA was present as the keynote speaker.
Saifuzzaman Chowdhury emphasized that digital literacy in the country is not yet at 100 percent, and therefore not everyone can access digital services online. As a result, taking all factors into account and keeping everyone in mind, the decision has been made to appoint land service agents.
The minister also said that a Citizen Service Center is being set up in Bhumi Bhavan (currently operational on a trial basis). This service will be expanded to the district level gradually. In addition to the call center, citizens can also go directly to these service centers to receive land services. Apart from this, CCTV cameras will be installed to monitor private agent activities, and upazila and district-based citizen committees are also being considered.
The Minister emphasized the government's commitment to developing a land service system that minimizes the opportunity for corruption. He cited the examples of developed countries, where the system itself prevents corruption, and expressed the hope that a similar result can be achieved.
The Minister said that the work of the field-level land office is being monitored regularly. "We are monitoring whether files are being disposed of properly in the upazila and circle land offices and taking regular feedback. Monitoring activities will be intensified gradually."
The minister said, “I think the land ministry is one of the 'performing ministries'. We are working with 'Smart Ministry' in mind. People have started getting the benefits of the digitalization of land services.”
The keynote speaker of the program, Land Secretary Md Mustafizur Rahman PAA, presented an overview of land management initiatives at the program. He said that 1 lakh 38 thousand maps of the entire Bangladesh are being digitized and satellite images are being purchased.
A database of plot-based land classes is being created by overlaying satellite images on these maps. About 10,000 digital Mauza maps are being linked to the e-mutation system. This digital map and Khaitan (Record of Rights) will be updated automatically along with the mutation (Namzari). With the help of the Bhumi Seba app, citizens can instantly access information such as the length, width, location, and measurement of their land.
The secretary also disclosed that the digital land service system has contributed more than Taka 550 crore to the government treasury in just eight months of the financial year 2022-23 through various sectors, including land development tax, e-Mutation, Khaitan, and map.
He said that since the introduction of online land development tax in September 2021, the online revenue collection rate alone has reached around Tk 470 crore, showing a remarkable 326% progress in 2022-23. On February 20, the revenue collection figure reached more than TK 3.5 crore in a single day. Moreover, the e-Mutation fee has generated over Tk 200 crore from 2021 till now, with an average daily collection of Taka 1 crore from the e-mutation system.
During the event, the special speaker, Executive Director of Transparency International Bangladesh Dr. Iftekhar Zaman, noted that the reform program in land management has exceeded their initial expectations, describing it as an 'inspiring initiative'. He emphasized the need to prevent vested interest groups from gaining influence as they move forward with the reform program.
During the event, the moderator, President of Citizen's Platform for SDGs, Bangladesh, and Fellow of Centre for Policy Dialogue, Dr. Debapriya Bhattacharya, expressed his opinion that the land reform initiative could be spearhead of the Smart Bangladesh initiative. He also stressed the importance of civil society's involvement as a partner in this process.
The purpose of the dialogue was to introduce new initiatives related to land management and services to the common people, especially disadvantaged and marginalized communities in Bangladesh.
Manusher Jonno Foundation Executive Director Shaheen Anam, A2I National Portal Implementation Specialist Deputy Secretary Mohammad Shamsuzzaman, Supreme Court Advocate Mahfuz Bin Yusuf and Association for Land Reform Chief Coordinator Rafiq Ahmed Sirazi among others spoke at the event.
Senior officials from the Ministry of Land, various non-governmental development organizations, civil society representatives, individuals from various ethnic groups including Oraon and Bengalis, as well as media personalities attended the event.