Allegations are rife that bribery is going unabated in the land offices across the country, and we the general people have to pay a large sum of money to get land-related services and even face humiliation by the greedy land officers. The land ministry several times assured us of getting tough against corruption at the grassroots level, particularly union land offices across the country.
But we are yet to get rid of the menace of corruption and irregularities as little action is taken against the corrupt officials at the grassroots level. A video of Abdul Quadir Miah, a deputy assistant land officer at Maijkhapon Union parishad under Kishoreganj sadr upazila taking bribe in his office room on Friday, has gone viral on social media platform Facebook and sparked mass criticism across the country. The video shows a deputy assistant land officer taking bribe for clearing a deed of land.
Locals alleged that Abdul Quadir does not clear any deed of land without money. Some national dailies and portal newspapers on Saturday ran stories in this regard. He always asks the service seekers to come to him for a settlement of land-related issues without maintaining proper channel.
Video shows a deputy
assistant land officer
taking bribe for clearing
a deed of land
The Maijkhapon Union deputy land assistant officer says he distributes the bribe money among seven officials. We all know that this unethical practice has been going on at most of the union land offices across the country. People hardly get get service from union land assistant officer (Nayeb) without giving bribe.
The service seekers, who live in rural areas, are being harassed and humiliated in many ways by the deputy assistant land officer when they go to the union land office to pay the land development tax or to get land-related service. People must not be harassed and humiliated in this way.
Such harassment, humiliation and corruption at union land offices must be stopped immediately. Besides, stern action must be taken if any land official found involved in corruption and irregularities. The government wants to build a skilled, pro-service oriented and accountable local administration which will accelerate the development of the country. But corrupt officials are standing in the way of the government development activities.
The government should never tolerate this (corruption), all should be held responsible for their own duties, and all have to perform their duties properly. If any land official is found involved in harassing and humiliating rural service seekers, he/she must be brought to book.
