The reported snag encountered by the relevant authorities in their endeavour to digitise land records is a significant setback. Ever since the government began to flag digitisation as one of its foremost objectives – way back in its first term in office, land registration emerged as a primary focus area for inclusion in the digitisation initiative. With the commencement of works, there was a feeling of relief among citizens that things would be far easier for buying and selling of landed property and that disputes and litigations so common in land-related matters would no longer be a cause of public misery.
The situation now is far from desirable. Mystery shrouds the project believed to be paramount among various initiatives of public interest. According to a recent report of the FE, the project, which had remained dormant for several years, is now slated for termination, despite significant financial investment. The rationale behind abandoning the project and the conspicuous silence of the pertinent authorities-specifically the land ministry-on the matter, raise perplexing questions.
It is evident that one of the most pressing matters of public interest is the urgent digitisation of land records. The concept of digitisation has emerged as a promising solution to numerous challenges. The antiquated methods of record-keeping, dating back to the British colonial era, prevail nationwide. Digitisation of land records is thus a must.
The land administration has been an area known for ages as the breeding ground of endless litigations, ruthless enmities, especially in rural areas. It is also a hunting ground for the powerful to prevail upon the weak taking advantage of the age-old methods of record-keeping susceptible to manipulation. It is because of the faulty and vulnerable system reliant on manual record keeping in ledgers and registers that a piece of land might get sold a number of times, rendering sales or purchases extremely risky. As a result, the number of land dispute cases pending with the courts all over the country is increasing every year and is believed to be much higher than in most other countries. A good deal of the problems is attributed to the cumbersome and complex system of record keeping that often makes accessing correct information more than just difficult. The victims in the process are the commoners. Harassed and tricked by touts and middlemen – bred by the system over generations – they often find themselves ripped apart.
In this connection, it may be mentioned here that in most government offices, private too, there is the practice of destroying files and papers once these are found outdated and of no use, after expiry of a certain time as per a guideline. The government offices also have earmarked spots for destroying useless piles of papers and documents by burning them. This cannot be imagined in case of our sub-registry offices – the depository of land records, for when it comes to land records, there is nothing called old, outdated or useless. So, these offices often housed in tiny spaces, especially those in places outside the district headquarters, are crammed with heaps of papers, some as old as fifty or more years. In an atmosphere heavily stuffed with papers and documents in racks and roof-high dusty shelves, it is difficult to put one's mind to work. Retrieving a decade-old document may take days, even weeks, if not lost.
A local daily has recently reported that two projects taken up by the government in this regard – one with its own resources and the other under donor funding – have run into snags. The government in 2010 approved a project with its own funding to digitise all existing land documents, including maps, mauzas and khatians in a total of nearly 60 upazilas. But, reportedly, due to the application of faulty software, the project could barely have any worthwhile outcome. The other project – Digital Land Management System project – funded by the Asian Development Bank is currently engaged in 44 districts. But this project is also not progressing well, reportedly for delays in release of funds, and hence the project is being repeatedly extended.
This is not at all desirable in so far as the task of digitisation of one of the most critical field of public interest is concerned. Surprisingly, in recent times, the issue is not in public discussion at all. The media, too, have apparently forgotten to pursue the matter and inform the readers of the current state of the projects.
Today, most countries, including the developing ones, have parted with manual handling of land records. Since it is a mammoth task and cannot be expected to be completed in a strictly time-bound manner, there has to be a well planned strategy on how to go about. Reports published in the newspapers say the sub-registry offices are yet to be provided with the effective tools to start with.
Digitisation, more than anything, will do away with a lot of public sufferings. Needless to say, because of the manual handling of documents and their susceptibility to manipulation, forgery and even theft, safekeeping is crucially important. This, besides easing the works of the offices dealing with land records will also provide a great relief to the people. All concerned should do their best to put things in place so as to facilitate the digitising process that, unfortunately, appears to have lost much of its steam for various reasons.
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