Buying and registering land in Bangladesh has long been plagued by bribes and delays. To tackle these issues, the government is turning to technology such as geo-fencing and mobile applications.
State Minister for Land and Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs, Mir Mohammed Helal Uddin, said the ministry aims to reduce human contact in service delivery while making land services easier, faster, and more transparent. “The more people can access services digitally, the fewer opportunities there will be for corruption and harassment,” he noted.
The Bhumi App, downloaded over 100,000 times, allows users to pay land development taxes, apply for and track e-mutations, search and verify land records, access digital khatians and mouza maps, submit complaints online, calculate inheritance shares, and maintain a unified landowner profile linked to national ID information.
To support users unfamiliar with digital platforms, the ministry has established 893 service centers nationwide where citizens can receive guidance for a nominal fee. Awareness campaigns through local administrations, schools, and religious institutions, along with instructional videos and materials, aim to increase adoption, especially in rural areas.
Despite these efforts, many people continue to rely on brokers.
Rashedul Islam, a Dhaka resident who recently used digital land services, said the online system significantly reduced the hassle associated with land administration.
"I completed several steps online and received support from a service centre when needed. Compared to the conventional process, it saved both time and effort," he said.
Akhter Hossain, a resident of Shailkupa upazila in Jhenaidah, said limited digital literacy and internet access continue to prevent wider adoption in rural areas.
"There is still a perception that files move faster through brokers. Technology can help, but implementation and awareness at the local level remain critical," he said.
Officials acknowledge that technology alone cannot transform a system shaped by decades of informal practices.
To address another long-standing concern, absenteeism among officials, the ministry plans to launch "Bhumi Drishti" after completing field trials. The platform will establish virtual boundaries around land offices, enabling supervisors to monitor officials' attendance through a central dashboard in real time.
"If an official leaves the designated office boundary during office hours, the system will immediately reflect that on the dashboard," the state minister said.
Helal Uddin also pointed to a structural challenge: land administration and land registration fall under separate ministries. While many people assume sub-registrar offices operate under the land ministry, they are administered by the law ministry.
According to him, many irregularities associated with land administration actually originate during the registration process, including forged deeds and documentation-related disputes.
To tackle these issues, the government is expanding digital cadastral surveys, developing a central land repository and integrating land registration with land information systems to improve record accuracy and reduce disputes.
It is also linking land acquisition compensation to the iBAS++ platform so payments can be transferred directly to beneficiaries, reducing manual intervention and opportunities for irregularities.
According to Transparency International Bangladesh's latest survey, 66.2% of households receiving land services experienced some form of corruption, up from 51% in 2023. Nearly 47.6% of service recipients reported paying bribes, with the average unauthorised payment reaching Tk11,310 per household.
The survey estimated that bribery in land services generated around Tk3,081 crore nationwide, the highest among all public service sectors covered.
Land disputes also continue to weigh heavily on the judicial system. Bangladesh's courts currently have more than 4.7 million pending cases, with the Association for Land Reform and Development identifying land-related conflicts as a major contributor to the country's civil litigation backlog.
Courtesy: The Business Standard.
Bd-pratidin English/TR
