WHILE almost 80 percent of court cases arise out of land disputes, the apathy of our land officials in this regard seems not to be frustrating only, rather it is an embarrassment to us as these officials are also involved in provoking such crimes considering it as an opportunity to make money. An English daily reported on Sunday that the corruption cases against some land officials remained shelved for years and no action was taken against them as the high ups of the Ministry concerned are also involved in such illegal earnings. This actually tells us the tale of untold sufferings of the people who pay in exchange for nothing but for agony. The reports claimed to have documents to establish corruption against at least 80 land officials who have reports of departmental investigation against them. When the healer himself is infected, then it might be quite impossible to cure what happens to others in the land administration of the country.
As per reports, an assistant settlement officer of Noakhali zone who had been transferred in June this year to the settlement office of Itna upazila in Kishoreganj district on charge of corruption denied to obey the order, and by obtaining a stay order from the High Court against his transfer, he made his position much stronger. Earlier, the Land Ministry and the Anti-Corruption Commission found him along with his wife (a govt primary school teacher) indulging in huge corruption. The couple confessed to their corruption before the then Truth and Accountability Commission in 2008 and deposited Tk. 4.5 lakh to the treasury to have amnesty.
Surprisingly, no punitive departmental actions against the self-confessed corrupt couple as per the Bangladesh Service Rules has yet been taken. The reports also mentioned two other incidents of corrupt land officers of Narsingdi and Dinajpur who are also most powerful and don’t give a damn to rules and regulations. Last but not least, as the report said, at least 191 officials and nine settlement officers of the Dhaka Settlement Office had been found involved in registering and recording land of 43 canals, the natural drainage outlets of the city illegally. Illegal encroachment on rivers, canals and water bodies for housing, industries, etc. have become a cottage industry with the help of such corrupt bureaucrats.
We know it no use of writing against corruption as corruption like politics is the easiest of all businesses. But still we criticise and condemn corruption to warn the government that the country is becoming a failed state.
