State minister sits waiting as land office opens late

State Minister for Land Kayser Kamal had to wait for about half an hour on the veranda of a land office in Narayanganj's Siddhirganj after arriving for a surprise inspection and finding no officials present, reports bdnews24.com.
The minister reached the Siddhirganj Union Land Office shortly after 9am on Wednesday.
Although the main gate of the office was open, no officials or staff were at their desks and their rooms were found locked.
Journalists present at the scene said the minister arrived about five minutes after the official start of working hours, but no employees had yet reported for duty.
He waited for around half an hour on a chair placed on the office veranda. Several members of the public who had come to seek land services were also seen waiting there.
Officials and employees arrived at the office later after being informed.
The minister expressed dissatisfaction over the incident.
In a video from the scene, officials are seen being questioned over their late arrival. When Kayser asked them about the delay, they reportedly gave unclear responses.
Speaking to reporters later, the state minister said: "Such incidents are undesirable. Necessary action will be taken against those who neglect their duties.
"The government elected by the people will work for the people. Any irregularity or corruption will not be tolerated."
He said similar surprise inspections would be carried out at other offices to ensure accountability among government officials.
Attempts to reach Siddhirganj Union Land Assistant Officer Nasir Uddin by phone were unsuccessful.
However, Debjani Kar, assistant commissioner (land) for the Siddhirganj area, said she had been on half-day leave for personal reasons and could not be present. "As far as I know, the state minister visited and did not find the officials there. He waited for quite some time," she said.
She added that the deputy commissioner and the Upazila administrator had been informed and would take necessary action.