Editorial
Time to computerise land records
DU-AEC rift only the latest dispute
The latest land dispute to hit the headlines of the national dailies is the one between Dhaka University and the Atomic Energy Centre who are at loggerheads over a piece of land adjacent to the Bangla Academy where the AEC is currently situated. As land disputes go, this is actually a fairly benign one which does not involve corruption or criminality, but it highlights the fact that the time is long overdue for the government to put in place a policy to sort out these kinds of disputes once and for all.The AEC claims to have bought the land in question in 1961 and to have valid title to it. Dhaka University authorities contest this claim and insist that they are the rightful owners of the land, and that there had been an understanding to shift the AEC to Agargaon and to hand over the land to DU by the end of the month. The point is that these kinds of disputes over land have become endemic. It is estimated that up to 80 per cent of court cases filed in Bangladesh are over ownership of land. The current situation is a mess. The main problem with the current confusion is that the government is often helpless to sort out many of the outstanding disputes, to act to stem land-grabbing, and to plan development properly. What needs to be done is to give this issue priority. In Andhra Pradesh in India, land records have been computerised to great effect. The time has come for us to solve our land problems in Bangladesh once and for all by doing the same. The benefits will be many. There will be a proper mechanism in place to resolve currently intractable land disputes. Corruption will be reduced dramatically as it will be much harder for corrupt officials to issue fraudulent or multiple title to the same land. The government will be greatly empowered in its efforts to combat land-gabbing. The dilemma of competing claims to the same plot can finally be resolved. Most importantly, the government will be able to plan effectively for the future. Few government initiatives would have such far-reaching benefits, and the government would do well to turn its mind to initiating implementation of such a policy as soon as possible in the new year.
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