RRC suggests computerisation of available land records, maps
Wednesday, 22 October 2008
Shakhawat Hossain
The Regulatory Reforms Commission (RRC) has suggested computerisation of available record, maps and documents on the country's land to facilitate easy access to related information, officials said Tuesday.
It has recommended encouragement of private investment in land management and outsourcing land-related services with an aim to bring about changes in the country's land registration system.
The RRC suggestions came at a meeting held last month. The meeting observed that the existing land registration by offices of the Sub-Registrar under the land ministry involves corruption, said the officials.
"The existing system of land ownership registration breeds corruption," said an official quoting the minutes of the meeting, chaired by RRC member Abdul Muyeed Chowdhury.
The RRC officials, while reviewing the prevailing scenario of land management, found that 70 per cent to 80 per cent of the country's criminal and civil cases are related to disputes over land ownership.
Bangladesh is one of the most densely populated countries in the world where land is scarce and land ownership battle is fierce.
It is imperative to ease the existing land management and land registration system to get rid of the problems, according to the RRC observations.
The present caretaker government has created the RRC with the main task to give suggestions and help the present interim administration carry out reforms in different sectors.
It also suggested formulation a high-power committee with land ministry secretary as its head to give an institutional shape to the land management reform.
The RRC said some key officials of the committee should be appointed for two years to five years so that it faces no technical problem in future to carry out its activities.
The main task of the committee will be to overview the modernisation of the offices of the Sub-Registrars and its services to accomplish reforms in the land management and land registration system.
Besides, recommendations to bring about changes in the existing laws and rules were also suggested by the RRC.
To address the land related problems the immediate past political government formed a committee, led by the then cabinet secretary to investigate land grabbing by some unscrupulous property businessmen.
It had proposed harsher penalty raising imprisonment period to 14 years from two years for those found guilty of the worst cases.
The officials said the proposals were not executed.
The Regulatory Reforms Commission (RRC) has suggested computerisation of available record, maps and documents on the country's land to facilitate easy access to related information, officials said Tuesday.
It has recommended encouragement of private investment in land management and outsourcing land-related services with an aim to bring about changes in the country's land registration system.
The RRC suggestions came at a meeting held last month. The meeting observed that the existing land registration by offices of the Sub-Registrar under the land ministry involves corruption, said the officials.
"The existing system of land ownership registration breeds corruption," said an official quoting the minutes of the meeting, chaired by RRC member Abdul Muyeed Chowdhury.
The RRC officials, while reviewing the prevailing scenario of land management, found that 70 per cent to 80 per cent of the country's criminal and civil cases are related to disputes over land ownership.
Bangladesh is one of the most densely populated countries in the world where land is scarce and land ownership battle is fierce.
It is imperative to ease the existing land management and land registration system to get rid of the problems, according to the RRC observations.
The present caretaker government has created the RRC with the main task to give suggestions and help the present interim administration carry out reforms in different sectors.
It also suggested formulation a high-power committee with land ministry secretary as its head to give an institutional shape to the land management reform.
The RRC said some key officials of the committee should be appointed for two years to five years so that it faces no technical problem in future to carry out its activities.
The main task of the committee will be to overview the modernisation of the offices of the Sub-Registrars and its services to accomplish reforms in the land management and land registration system.
Besides, recommendations to bring about changes in the existing laws and rules were also suggested by the RRC.
To address the land related problems the immediate past political government formed a committee, led by the then cabinet secretary to investigate land grabbing by some unscrupulous property businessmen.
It had proposed harsher penalty raising imprisonment period to 14 years from two years for those found guilty of the worst cases.
The officials said the proposals were not executed.