Land registration works going on in a dilapidated building

OUR CORRESPONDENT

PABNA, May 24: Land registration activities are going on in a potentially unsafe building of the Bhangura Sub-Registrar Office in Bhangura upazila of Pabna district amid safety concerns.

The shaky state of the old building poses significant safety risks to the individuals involved in the registration process and may cause substantial damage to the registration documents and other records.

Officials, employees, and the people coming here to receive services have to remain in fear of a major danger with possible crumbling of the weak building

at any moment.

More than a decade ago, most of the beams and roof of the building became weak and plaster fell apart from its walls, making the building unusable.

It can easily be assumed that no repair work has been done in the dilapidated building aged around half a century for a long time.

Moreover, important documents and books related to land registration activities have been kept piled up in a damp environment inside the office.

As a result, there is a fear of important documents and records getting damaged day by day.

Officials and employees, even the sub-registrar, are forced to work in this ramshackle building, risking their lives.

The individuals concerned have demanded that the higher authorities move the land registration-related paraphernalia and valuable documents from the risky building to a safer location as soon as possible.

According to competent sources, Bhangura union was established as Bhangura thana under the then Faridpur thana in 1981.

Later, the activities of the Upazila Parishad started in 1982. After the Upazila Parishad activities started, various office buildings were constructed by the ministry for administrative work.

At that time, activities of the Sub-Registrar Office of the upazila level started in the then closed Civil Court Activities Building to the east of the Upazila Parishad.

After the previously-built administrative buildings were declared abandoned, most of the Upazila Parishad offices were shifted to the newly-built administrative building. But this Sub-Registrar Office, which is of public importance, continues its activities in the old dilapidated and risky building.

Deed Writers Association president Zakir Hossain Manik and secretary Saiful Islam of the Bhangura Upazila Sub-Registrar Office told the FE that land registration activities have been going on in the old dilapidated and risky building for a long time.

The ministry concerned has been repeatedly asked to construct a new building. Despite the application, no work has been done.

In this regard, Bhangura Sub-Registrar Rizvi Ibne Mahmud told this correspondent, "The building is very risky. Many years ago, the building was declared unusable and abandoned by the authorities concerned. But since there is no other way, I am working here almost out of compulsion. In addition to the risk to life, important documents are also at the risk of getting damaged."

Bhangura Upazila Nirbahi Officer Nazmun Nahar told the FE, "Since the Sub-Registrar Office is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, the ministry will take necessary steps in this regard."

He also said, "If the sub-registrar takes initiative in this regard, he will be duly assisted."

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