AC Land notoriously setting bribe for land mutation

That bribery has been institutionalised in the land registration sector and is known to all who seek service from the sector.

An audio clip of Nazirpur upazila assistant commissioner (Land) of Pirojpur setting bribe rate for land mutation is another clear proof of this sordid reality.

In the leaked audio statement, one AC (land) named Md Masudur Rahman is heard directing the union land assistant officers in a meeting to fix Tk 6,000 as ‘bribe for land mutation’.

The government set Tk 1,170 fee for the service.

As the audio clip went viral, the upazila administration there served a show-cause notice to the AC Land over the audio clip and the AC Land might get some punishment for it in course of time.

But would that be enough to eliminate the practice of bribery in the land registration sector especially in the district and registrar and sub-registrar offices where people have become hostages in the hands of these corrupted officials at every step to get land-related services?
It is not that the top bureaucracy which is supposed to check bribery and corruption do not know the ubiquitous presence of this malpractice, but the fact is in course of time the officers like the AC Land of Nazirpur come to the top of bureaucracy and it is futile to expect that these people would themselves start work to eliminate bribery from the government office.

In a democratic country, the political government chosen by people through election checks corruption, bribery and administrative malfeasance.

But the tragic truth in Bangladesh is that here the political government itself massively indulges in corruption and, to remain in power, allows bribery and corruption among the state officials.

Once, a retired bureaucrat-turned-politician infamously defined bribery as ‘speed money’ to get the desired services by people!
However, not long ago a TIB research found that people have to pay bribes ranging from Tk 500 to Tk 5 lakh at each step to get land-related services. For example, for a deed registration one has to pay Tk 1000 to Tk 5 lakh and Tk 1000 to Tk 7000 for having a duplicate copy of the deed.

Still, Tk 500 to Tk 5000 is extorted from clients in the name of the Deed Writers Association. In the sector, the rate of bribe depends on land price, type of duplicate copies, and the rate of extortion increases exponentially if the service seekers cannot provide the documents required for registration.

Unless Bangladesh society changes fundamentally with institutionalisation of fair politics and good governance, we cannot hope to expect any improvement in eliminating bribery and corruption from the services sector.