Why carry out land surveys if these are not used?
Sunday, 16 May 2010
Disputes over land involve the greatest number of civil and criminal cases in the country. Litigation over land claims, ownerships and related incidents keep the greater part of the capacities of the country's legal system engaged. The amounts drained by litigants in such land-related hassles are also very great. It would be possible to save a great deal of precious resources as well as energies and time both by individuals and the legal system if these land-related disputes could be limited in number. But this requires the upgrading of the land administration.
At present, such records are kept in primitive conditions. Leaking roofs in poorly maintained record rooms destroy decades-old hand-written records. Besides, the present mode of keeping the records provides enough scope for corruption at every step.
Surveys to determine land ownership are carried out at very long intervals but the final records are not made available promptly. The results of same surveys carried out soon after the independence of Bangladesh are yet to be published! For example the Dhaka City Survey from the land office was carried out more than a decade ago to determine ownership of lands and structures in them. Its results were also published and circulated among the land owners with titles to the property. But it is not being enforced on flimsy grounds. So, why was this survey conducted, anyway? This situation provides opportunities to land office officials to demand mutation in each case of registration, now, on the basis of past surveys carried out long before the Dhaka City Survey!
Has the enforcement of the City Survey been deliberately kept in abeyance for the land administration officials to make money under the table from providing unnecessary or dubious mutation certificates that in turn may lead to many litigations later on? Immediate enforcement of the City Survey report can remove all scope for bribery and limit litigations.
Digitalised or computerised land records for all categories of users can be an effective solution to many crimes, corruption and troubles faced in this area. Government potentates say that they are very keen for 'digital Bangladesh', a pet slogan of the ones in power. But the pace of digitalisation in land record keeping is shocking.
Clearly, the outmoded processes of keeping land records need to give way to complete digitalisation at the soonest. A comprehensive plan should be prepared for the purpose and funds placed and utilised at an early date for the plan to take off in the full sense of the term.
Nurul Huda
Narinda, Dhaka
At present, such records are kept in primitive conditions. Leaking roofs in poorly maintained record rooms destroy decades-old hand-written records. Besides, the present mode of keeping the records provides enough scope for corruption at every step.
Surveys to determine land ownership are carried out at very long intervals but the final records are not made available promptly. The results of same surveys carried out soon after the independence of Bangladesh are yet to be published! For example the Dhaka City Survey from the land office was carried out more than a decade ago to determine ownership of lands and structures in them. Its results were also published and circulated among the land owners with titles to the property. But it is not being enforced on flimsy grounds. So, why was this survey conducted, anyway? This situation provides opportunities to land office officials to demand mutation in each case of registration, now, on the basis of past surveys carried out long before the Dhaka City Survey!
Has the enforcement of the City Survey been deliberately kept in abeyance for the land administration officials to make money under the table from providing unnecessary or dubious mutation certificates that in turn may lead to many litigations later on? Immediate enforcement of the City Survey report can remove all scope for bribery and limit litigations.
Digitalised or computerised land records for all categories of users can be an effective solution to many crimes, corruption and troubles faced in this area. Government potentates say that they are very keen for 'digital Bangladesh', a pet slogan of the ones in power. But the pace of digitalisation in land record keeping is shocking.
Clearly, the outmoded processes of keeping land records need to give way to complete digitalisation at the soonest. A comprehensive plan should be prepared for the purpose and funds placed and utilised at an early date for the plan to take off in the full sense of the term.
Nurul Huda
Narinda, Dhaka