Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) Executive Director Iftekharuzzaman speaking at a prsss conference in the city on Monday — bdnews24.com Corruption has been institutionalised in land registration offices across the country as almost no service is available without underhand dealings, according to a research report of the Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB).
Service seekers have to pay bribes ranging between Tk 500 and Tk 5,00,000 in every step of land-related services, said the report unveiled on Monday.
"Underhand dealings in land registration offices are widespread. Some 3.6 million land records were registered in 2017-18 across the country and almost all service seekers had to pay bribes ranging between Tk 1000 and Tk 5,00,000," Director of Research and Policy Division of TIB Mohammad Rafiqul Hassan told reporters while replying to a question.
The TIB released the findings of the research report titled 'Ways to overcome obstacles to good governance in land registration and service sector' at a press conference at its office in the city.
The TIB also revealed the amount of internal illegal transactions in the land services sector.
Bribes amounting between Tk 20,000 and Tk 2.0 million change hands involving recruitments, transfers, promotions and other processes, it said.
TIB Executive Director Iftekharuzzaman said the district registrar and sub-registrar offices are among the most corrupt places in the country.
"Land-related services have become synonymous to corruption and it has become institutional," he added.
He also noted that internal control system in land offices is not functioning properly and political influence is pervasive in land offices.
Dr Iftekharuzzaman also said common people are not that conversant with rules and process of land registration. A vicious circle comprising local goons, well-connected people and land office staff do take advantage of this situation.
Replying to a question, he said, "We can't say the situation has improved in the land offices as TIB conducted such studies earlier."
"Out of 41 sub-registrar offices surveyed for the report, some 22 offices did not have full-time sub-registrars," he said.
TIB Chairman Sultana Kamal said shortage of competent manpower and lack of monitoring of internal control system are the major problems in the land offices.
"TIB recommends strengthening the capacity of manpower and internal monitoring system in land offices to improve services," she said.
TIB conducted this qualitative study from July 2018 to May 2019 in 16 registrar offices and 41 sub-registrar offices across the country.
The anti-graft watchdog recommended that the government should increase institutional competency in the land service sector to curb corruption.
It also called for full digitisation of the land administration and management services.
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