The collection of land development tax has come to a standstill in 46 land offices across upazilas and unions of Habiganj due to server issues. Service recipients allege that officials are using the slow pace of the Land Management and Automation Project’s server as an excuse to refuse tax payments, leaving both land buyers and sellers in distress.
Mohammad Badrul Alam, Tahsildar of the Sadar Upazila Land Office, stated, “The server has been upgraded from Generation-1 to Generation-2, which has slowed operations. We expect the issue to be resolved soon.”
When asked whether the negligence of Tahsildars and staff contributed to the inconvenience, Priyanka Pal, Additional Deputy Commissioner (Revenue) of Habiganj, said, “The delays stem from server slowdowns. Responsible officials are monitoring the situation continuously.”
Sources revealed that under normal circumstances, 150 to 200 deeds are registered daily at upazila land offices. However, this number has dropped to just 10 to 15. At the Habiganj Municipal Land Office, at least 40 clients were served daily in the past, but now only 3 to 4 are being assisted, leaving others disappointed.
Nur Mia, a resident of Panchparia village in Habiganj Sadar upazila has complained that the buyer could not register the land even though he wanted to sell it for money. Similarly, two other victims, journalist Nazrul Islam of North Shyamoli area of Habiganj city and businessman Md. Yamin Mia of Baniachong Ganingganj Bazar, have also shared their suffering.
These individuals stated that despite multiple visits to their respective union land offices, they could not pay the taxes. As a result, although the land price had been negotiated, minor pending tax amounts prevented them from completing the registration process.
Nazrul Islam further noted that he had been visiting the land office for a month but could not pay the tax. He commented, “Despite significant government investments in modernization, the ordeal continues. Negligence by officials is depriving people of the expected benefits.”
Mohammad Ali Chishti, a deed writer at the District Registrar’s Office, disclosed that 20 of his clients had completed agreements for land sales but could not proceed with registration due to the lack of tax receipts. “We usually process 150 to 200 registrations daily, but now only 10 to 15 are being done. People are not coming,” he explained.
Similarly, Touhidur Rahman Palash, a document writer at the Baniachong Upazila Sub-Registry Office, said, “Earlier, there were more than 150 documents per day. Now, there are not more than 8/10. We are in trouble with our customers.”
The Land Management and Automation Project began upgrading its centralized server on November 26. Although the system resumed operation shortly thereafter, lingering issues have stalled tax collection and property mutation activities in the land offices.
Mohammad Saiful Islam, Assistant Commissioner (Land) of Baniachong Upazila, acknowledged the challenges, saying, “Software updates have caused certain issues, slowing land tax collection and mutation processes. This will be resolved soon.”
Meanwhile, Iftekhar Hossain, Director of the Land Management and Automation Project, attributed the disruptions to field-level officials.
He stated to the media, “Despite some issues after the server upgrade, it was made operational from the first day of December. Local Tahsildars and responsible officials are turning away service recipients due to their ignorance or lack of interest. They are misleading people by saying the server is down, though it may only require a bit more time to access.”
