Land Ministry Leverages Digital Leap for Hassle-Free Services
The Ministry of Land has launched five online-based land services as part of its effort to make land-related public services easily accessible and transparent, announced Senior Secretary to the Ministry of Land, A.S.M. Saleh Ahmed. He shared the information while addressing a seminar titled “Role of Media in People-Friendly Land Services” held at the Press Centre of the Secretariat on Sunday, October 26.
The seminar was organized by the Bangladesh Secretariat Reporters Forum (BSRF) in collaboration with the Ministry’s Automated Land Administration and Management System (ALAMS) project.
“People face a lot of harassment in land offices,” the Senior Secretary acknowledged. “That is why we have decided to bring land services to people’s doorsteps through online platforms. Since last December, we have introduced five online-based land services.”
He added that Citizen Service Centres are being set up in every Deputy Commissioner’s office across the country to ensure easy access to land services. “We have already made progress, though much work remains. One of the major challenges is land surveys, as around 80 percent of land-related cases are survey-based. The public often blames us for delays and complications. We are now focusing on ensuring services from home, which will naturally reduce office-based harassment.”
Referring to past inefficiencies, the Senior Secretary said, “It took 52 years to complete the CS survey. It will not take that long anymore. We have completed zoning and set up separate units for sand extraction areas. Regular monitoring is being carried out, and crimes related to sand extraction have significantly decreased.”
He further stated, “Most complaints are directed toward the Land Ministry, although not all land-related work is done by us — the Law Ministry also handles a large portion, especially land deeds. There are about one million land-related cases pending across the country, with thousands of new ones being filed every day. Initially, it felt discouraging, but we are now used to it.”
The Senior Secretary noted that significant progress has been made in fulfilling citizens’ needs. “We have come a long way, but still have a long journey ahead. Currently, there are 817 land service assistance centres operating nationwide. We have also launched an app through which citizens can collect land records, maps, and pay land development taxes — all from home.”
Highlighting the ministry’s progress in digital governance, Additional Secretary Emdadul Haque Chowdhury said, “The benefits of automated land services are already visible. People are now paying land development taxes from home, leading to increased revenue collection. In the first three months of the current fiscal year, Tk 373 crore was collected — up from Tk 286 crore in the same period last year.”
He added that the biggest challenges in the land sector remain reducing corruption, ensuring good governance, minimizing vendor dependency, digitizing surveys for accuracy, and strengthening cybersecurity.
The Additional Secretary further stated, “Through the 16122 call centre, 24-hour service is available, receiving around 2,500 calls daily. Revenue from land development tax increased by Tk 22 crore compared to the previous fiscal year. A total of Tk 1,154 crore was collected in FY 2024–25, while Tk 373 crore has already been collected between July 1 and October 1 of FY 2025–26.”
He informed that during FY 2023–24, citizens collected 2.7 million land records, which increased to 3.8 million in FY 2024–25. “In the first three months of the current fiscal year alone, 1.776 million mutation applications were submitted, up from 1.3 million during the same period last year. However, all land records have not yet been fully digitized — there are around six crore records across the country, with many still pending inclusion in the online system.”
He said that while the system was initially project-based, a permanent structure is now being developed. “The application process for mutation and other services is complex, involving multiple documents. To assist citizens, Land Service Assistance Centres have been established, charging a nominal application fee of Tk 270 at the upazila level. Currently, 820 such centres are operational across 61 districts.”
The seminar was attended by Additional Secretary (Field Administration Division) Mohammad Mahfuzur Rahman, Joint Secretary (DKMP) Mohammad Zahirul Islam, Deputy Secretaries Selim Ahmed and Amzad Hossain, System Analyst Mohammad Nur Hossain, and other senior officials from the Land Ministry, along with the BSRF members.
