Study finds graft in land offices

Revealing widespread corruption and irregularities in the country’s land service sector, a new study shows that land owners have to bribe up to Tk0.2 million (2 lakh) for the mutation work of a plot of land. The study unfolds various bribery rates in different land services and civil suits relating to land disputes. The study, done by the Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB), says land owners are forced to bribe Tk100-10,000 in paying Land Development Tax (LDT) while Tk1,000-50,000 for land registration, Tk200-1,000 for withdrawal of records and maps and withdrawal of certified copies of records and maps. The study detects that the authorities concerned take up to Tk2 million (20 lakh) in leasing out haat-bazaar while bribery of Tk 10,000 to 0.2m (2 lakh) for preventing any administrative measures and investigations against collection of toll at haat-bazaars beyond approve rates. The main objective of the TIB study was to explore governance challenges in land management and service provisions in Bangladesh and provides a set of recommendations to overcome those, according to a news agency.
- biplab