STAFF CORRESPONDENT

The digitalisation of land management is crucial to ensure good governance and eliminate corruption, said speakers at a dialogue yesterday.

Although digitalisation is expected to bring a revolutionary change in land management, it is important to ensure that the process is participatory, they said.

Citizen’s Platform for SDGs, Bangladesh, with support from Manusher Jonno Foundation (MJF), organised the event on “Contemporary initiatives in land management and citizens’ rights” at the capital’s Brac Centre Inn.

“Many people in Bangladesh do not have access to digital services, which is a challenge for them,” said Iftekharuzzaman, core group member of Citizen’s Platform and executive director of Transparency International Bangladesh.

In Bangladesh, approximately 60 percent of the annual pending cases are related to land, indicating the prevalence and complexity of land-related disputes. The government has taken various initiatives, including the digitalisation of land management, to resolve these issues.

But in many cases, the common people are left behind, as communities are not aware of these benefits. On top of that, the lack of publicity campaigns about these initiatives is evident.

Debapriya Bhattacharya, convener of Citizen’s Platform for SDGs, Bangladesh and distinguished fellow of Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), said, “Land rights have intertwined with the rights of women and indigenous communities. Given the multidimensional nature of this issue, it is not solely the responsibility of the Ministry of Land to address it.”

Mustafizur Rahman, secretary at the Ministry of Land, mentioned the government’s initiatives of introducing a digital map, saying, “The digital map will contain information about the boundaries, quantity and the past and present situation of land. There are 1,38,000 sheets, which have been digitised.”

Shaheen Anam, core group member of Citizen’s Platform and executive director of MJF, said land-related disputes have been going on for ages.

“Many have fallen victim to the violence resulting from these disputes. Women and marginalised communities have particularly been affected. If the measures to digitalise land management are properly implemented, it will have a great impact on poverty alleviation,” said Shaheen.

“Women of the country should come forward to establish their land rights,” she added.

Land Minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury said necessary work is being done to solve land-related issues for sustainable development and to mitigate the sufferings of people.

“Through digitalisation, the work of officials up to the upazila level has been brought under accountability. However, service seekers have to be more aware as well,” he added.