Dhaka: Senior Secretary of the Ministry of Land ASM Saleh Ahmed today reaffirmed the government's commitment to ensuring transparency in the land acquisition process. He stated that enhancing efficiency, accountability, and human sensitivity in this process is a fundamental policy commitment of the government.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, Saleh Ahmed made these remarks as the chief guest at a stakeholder consultation workshop on the modernization of land services and land management in Bangladesh. The event was a collaboration between the Ministry of Land and the World Bank, held at a city hotel. He acknowledged that the current land acquisition procedures are often lengthy, complex, and burdensome for citizens.
Saleh Ahmed stressed the significance of land, noting its deep connection to people's livelihood, dignity, social security, and emotions. He emphasized that alongside efficiency, ensuring transparency, accountability, and humanity in the process is crucial. To facilitate this, the government is introducing a digital payment system to expedite compensation to affected individuals, ensuring quick and harassment-free transfers directly to beneficiaries' bank accounts, thereby reducing delays and enhancing transparency.
Additionally, Ahmed highlighted the government's transition from an ad hoc approach to a structured digital framework for land acquisition. As part of this initiative, the draft of the 'Immovable Property Acquisition and Requisition Rules' has already been completed.
At the event, World Bank representative Kumar Tadi Mallah commended Bangladesh's progress in modernizing land management, acknowledging the achievements while recognizing the need for further work. Mallah emphasized the importance of making the system accessible to marginalized groups, including the poor, less educated, and women, to help them understand procedures, identify irregularities, and safeguard their rights.
The workshop was chaired by Additional Secretary (Development) Md Emdadul Haque Chowdhury, with contributions from World Bank representatives Dongkyu Kwak and Md Akhtaruzzaman, as well as former Additional Secretary Tariq Hikmat. World Bank representatives Yan F Zhang and Zhiyu Jerry Chen presented a final draft report on industrial and production surveys in suburban and adjacent areas of Dhaka metropolitan.
During the workshop, a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for land acquisition was presented, with feedback collected from stakeholders. The SOP aims to simplify, accelerate, and make the acquisition process more citizen-friendly, thereby contributing to national development. Participants expressed optimism about the SOP's potential impact.
The event was attended by officials from various ministries, development partners, civil society organizations, NGOs, and media representatives.