Challenges of land services delivery and effectiveness of emutation in Bangladesh: a study on land mutation at Maheshpur upazila Jhenaidah

Abstract

The government of Bangladesh has taken land sector as one of the top prioritized sectors for our country and taking necessary steps to strengthen the public service to meet the need, interest and satisfaction of the citizens. One of the major initiatives of the government is to introduce online mutation service in all upazilas in the country. Since July 2019 every upazila land office/circle land office has come to the service of e-mutation according to the circular of the ministry. The main objective of the initiative is to simplify the land service delivery system and to make land administration more accountable, responsive, people friendly, transparent and to ensure quality service delivery in the land offices. Moheshpur Upazila land office in Jhenaidah district was selected as study area to examine the effectiveness of emutation. Both primary and secondary data were collected and analyzed to find out the reality of e-mutation in case of TCV reduction. The study found that the result is not satisfactory. For having some basic constraints the desired benefit of e-mutation has not achieved. The complexity of land service delivery is still existed. Though e-mutation has given some relax in some cases but overall situation is still a matter of concern. Lack of skilled manpower, huge shortage of manpower, excess workload and shortage of logistic supports, lack of training, complex process of service delivery, corruption in land sector etc. are some of the barriers of the satisfactory land service delivery.