Graft won't come down unless land-related laws reformed
Monday, 20 October 2008
Anti-corruption Commission (ACC) chairman Lt Gen (retd) Hasan Mashhud Chowdhury Sunday said corruption would continue to haunt the Land Ministry and its departments if the existing land-related laws and rules are not reformed, reports UNB.
And graft would not come down unless the conventional method of dealing with land-related issues is replaced by automation, he told journalists after the ACC's views exchange meeting with the senior officials of the Land Ministry and its departments.
The ACC chairman said the administrative problems, atmosphere and lack of manpower were the main reasons why corruption takes place in the ministry.
With the day's meeting with the Land Ministry, the anti-graft watchdog, as part of its campaign against institutional corruption, kicked off its views exchange meetings with different ministries.
In the meeting held at the Land Ministry conference room at the Secretariat, the ACC was represented by its chairman and two commissioners - Habibur Rahman and AH Manjur Mannan.
About the objective of the meeting, the ACC chairman said that it would not be possible to fight institutional corruption without involving the persons who take decisions.
He informed that during the meeting suggestions came from the participants on ways to reduce corruption in the ministry and also that some of the measures could be undertaken by the ministry itself.
"In future, we'll sit with them in the ACC and try to 'do the things that are doable'," Mashhud said. He said the objective of the meeting was not to find the individuals involved in corruption, rather to identify the causes of corruption.
Asked why the Commission did not act in the institutions like police where corruption is perceived to be rampant, he said if the ACC start dealing with corruption in all institutions at a time, results would not be good.
And graft would not come down unless the conventional method of dealing with land-related issues is replaced by automation, he told journalists after the ACC's views exchange meeting with the senior officials of the Land Ministry and its departments.
The ACC chairman said the administrative problems, atmosphere and lack of manpower were the main reasons why corruption takes place in the ministry.
With the day's meeting with the Land Ministry, the anti-graft watchdog, as part of its campaign against institutional corruption, kicked off its views exchange meetings with different ministries.
In the meeting held at the Land Ministry conference room at the Secretariat, the ACC was represented by its chairman and two commissioners - Habibur Rahman and AH Manjur Mannan.
About the objective of the meeting, the ACC chairman said that it would not be possible to fight institutional corruption without involving the persons who take decisions.
He informed that during the meeting suggestions came from the participants on ways to reduce corruption in the ministry and also that some of the measures could be undertaken by the ministry itself.
"In future, we'll sit with them in the ACC and try to 'do the things that are doable'," Mashhud said. He said the objective of the meeting was not to find the individuals involved in corruption, rather to identify the causes of corruption.
Asked why the Commission did not act in the institutions like police where corruption is perceived to be rampant, he said if the ACC start dealing with corruption in all institutions at a time, results would not be good.