Digital land services by 2020: Minister

Finance Minister AMA Muhith today said that the land related services in the country would be digitised by 2020.

“We aim to develop physical infrastructure of all union land offices by 2019 and to digitise land related services in all upazila land offices by 2020,” he said while placing budget for 2015-2016 fiscal before the Jatiya Sangsad.

Muhith said at present, establishment of 20 land information service centres in 20 upazilas is underway.”

The minister also said the government will soon finalised the draft bill on 'Agricultural Land Protection and Land Use Act’ in a bid to ensure proper utilisation of the country’s land.

In his budget speech in June 2015, Muhith told the parliament that “we have prepared a draft on Agricultural Land Protection and Land Use Act to ensure planned and appropriate use of land which will be finalised soon.”

The minister told the parliament that “as part of modernising land management system, a report has been prepared with digital land zoning maps covering two district towns of plain land and 152 upazilas of coastal area under Coastal Land Zoning Project.”

“Formulation of land zoning reports for another 40 districts is underway,” he further said.

Muhith said a special initiative will be undertaken this year under Public-Private Partnership to expedite issuance of land ownership certificate.

Earlier, the land ministry prepared the draft bill on 'Agricultural Land Protection and Land Use Act' keeping provision of minimum five years jail or Tk 1 lakh as fine or both for breaching the law.