Staff Reporter:
Land Minister Md Mizanur Rahman Minu yesterday said transparency and accountability must be en-sured in land services to dispel public doubt and mistrust.
“The call center needs wider publicity so that marginalized people are not deprived of land services,” he said while visiting the Citizen Care Center and the Land Ministry’s call center (16122) at the Land Bha-ban in Tejgaon, Dhaka. State Minister for Land Barrister Kayser Kamal was present on the occasion.
The minister directed the authorities concerned to expand the scope of services of both the Citizen Care Center and the call center so that at least 2,000 people can receive services daily, instead of the current 200 to 300.
Minu said strict action would be taken if any complaints of bribery and corruption are received, express-ing hope that visible changes would be brought to the land sector within the next six months.
Speaking on the occasion, State Minister for land Barrister Kayser Kamal said the ministry would main-tain zero tolerance policy against bribery and corruption. He noted that the land ministry had previously gained notoriety at home and abroad for corruption.
He further said discussions with stakeholders would be held to explore ways to reduce the time required for settling complaints and objections in the land sector. If necessary, measures such as Alternative Dis-pute Resolution (ADR) would be introduced to expedite disposal of land-related cases, and specific timeframes would be fixed for settling objections and appeals.
During the visit, the minister and the state minister inspected various activities of the Citizen Care Center and the call center and gave directives to modernise and improve service delivery.
Senior officials of different departments under the Land Ministry were present on the occasion.
