Bangladesh's land-record management has yet to be fully automated notwithstanding government commitment to digitisation of the entire processes, say sources, leaving most people in the largely venal system.
Digital land-registration services are currently offered only in 17 out of 495 upazilas in the country, under a pilot project, according to an official at the Department of Registration.
A land ministry official told The Financial Express that achievement of three ongoing projects designed to fully digitise land-record services is at the primary stage.
The official mentions that some services such as e-mutation, land-development tax, civil-suit management, digital databank, hotline, map collection, certified copy of record of rights, khatian service and mouza map are now available online under the piloting. However, most people are still unaware of available digital services despite the government efforts to digitise the services, officials concerned admit.
Stakeholders complain that the age-old land-registration-and record-management system leaves room for manipulation and corrupt practices that often cause public suffering.
The vital system is still bifurcated - the survey and record issues are under the land ministry while the law ministry looks after the registration process.
An official concerned says the law ministry is working on the launch of a fresh project on digitization of land registration.
Hosain Md Masuk, a private-sector employee, says services like RS Khatian, SA Khatian, City Khatian and Mouza map are now found online. "But those records are not obtainable in all mouzas (areas)," he adds.
Analogue and digital practices are going on simultaneously at the cost of double efforts and money, he rues.
A legal officer at a private company, Mabbubur Rahman, says service recipients also need to do their money transaction through U-cash financial service or government's ek pay, which is not available to them. "The e-mutation system is costlier than the analogue one," he points out.
Mr Rahman had to spend Tk 5,000-Tk 10,000 for mutation of 5-10-decimal land, which now swells to Tk 20,000-Tk 22,000 for e-mutation, he stated.
"People have yet to be able to register their land digitally as only a few offices are providing the service in the capital and outside Dhaka," he claims. "Bribery is a serious issue."
Dewan Ershad, a deed-writer, told the FE that a few digital services of land registration were found at the offices of the Sub-Registrars in Uttara, Khilgaon and Gushan in the capital.
Transparency Internat-ional Bangladesh (TIB) Executive Director Dr Iftekharuzzaman thinks the progress made in digitization of land-registration process, though not a complete, has opened scope for positive transformation.
"Accountability is a critical issue in ensuring better governance in the sector," says the ED of the local chapter of the Berlin-based anti-graft watchdog.
A megaproject titled 'Land Management Automation' worth Tk 11.97 billion for a period between July 2020 and June 2025 is now underway, he notes.
Land-service application software such as e-mutations, review and appeal-case management, online land-development tax and rent-certificate case management will be available under the project, he mentions.
The services he listed will include mutated records of rights, digital land records, mouza map-delivery system, missed-case management, agricultural and non-agricultural khas land (state-owned land) management, and civil-case-information management.
The project, styled 'Capacity development of conducting digital surveys of the Department of Land Records and Survey to conduct digital land surveys' will be implemented at a cost of Tk 12.12 billion during the July 2020-June 2025 period, an official says.
Dr Dewan Muhammad Humayan Kabir, project director at Aspire to Innovate (A2i), says they have already provided technical support to the land ministry on digital record room and e-mutation projects.
"People started getting services of e-mutation and digital record sitting at home," he claims.
However, Vice President of the Real Estate and Housing Association of Bangladesh (REHAB) Kamal Mahmud says almost all land-related digital services remain unavailable practically.
"Around 7,000-8,000 flats are still being registered annually in the current analogue system," he told the FE to indicate state of the much-sought-after digitization of land documentation and management.
The National Board of Revenue (NBR) will be able to collect more taxes if digital services are made fully available, while people will be relieved of ages-old hassles and litigations centering land.
Executive Director at the Association for Land Reform and Development ABM Shamsul Huda says a major section of the people are yet to benefit from some digitised services as they live in rural areas.
Talking to the FE, Khandaker Humayan Kabir, inspector at the Department of Registration, Barisal division, said service-recipients are getting digital land-registration services in only 17 upazilas. In Barisal, this service is available only in Hizla upazila.
A project titled 'Mouza and Plot-Based National Digital Land Zoning Project' involving over Tk 3.37 billion for 2020-2024 period to ensure agricultural land protection of the country is being implemented.
