Dumuria AC land office turns dynamic

DUMURIA, KHULNA, Feb 11: When the common and innocent people throughout the country have been facing troubles in getting services from government offices due to alleged corruption and malpractice by some corrupt and dishonest employees, Assistant Commissioner of Land in Dumuria Upazila of the district Dr Sanjib Das has taken an initiative to ensure adequate services to the common people in a hassle-free manner.
The office, which was in pitiable condition, has been turned into a well decorated workplace now with the touch of the AC land within a few months.
Under his supervision and proper care, Dumuria AC land office is now enriched with modern equipment and furniture.  
On a recent visit to the office, it was found that an office assistant was working at the front desk at the veranda and patiently hearing a man who rushed there for his land-related activities.
Dumuria AC Land Dr Sanjib Das, an MBBS from Dhaka Medical College, served in BCS (Health) Cadre, and then he left it to join BCS (Administration) Cadre. He joined Dumuria Upazila Land Office on August 25 last year.
Within just four months, he dramatically changed the whole scenario of providing services. Previously positive case settlement rate was less than 25 to 30 per cent, the rate is now close to 75 per cent. The service of the land office has been made visible, service-oriented and corruption-free through public hearing.
The on-spot review depicts that on every Wednesday, the weekly public hearing day, office compound of the AC (Land) office gets crowded with more than 100 people from early morning.
Handicapped Kanan Bala came from Magurkhali, far away from upazila headquarters. She badly needed to sell a piece of land urgently for the purpose of treatment of her husband who is a patient of cardiac disease. But, without mutation, registration cannot be done.
As she had poor knowledge about the official procedure of mutation, she communicated with a broker, but didn't get any remedy. Later she heard from the public that if she could participate in public hearing, AC (Land) sir would make her job done instantly. With this belief, she came to AC land office by 7am sharp to take a serial for public hearing. As soon as the hearing was over, her case was approved, and DCR and Khatian were delivered at once. She did not even pay a penny out of the government fixed fees. She is very happy with the services of the land office.
When asked, Sanjib Das said as per the direction of Deputy Commissioner (DC) Mr Mohammad Helal Hossain, he started public hearing from dawn to dusk once a week under the supervision of Additional DC (Revenue) Sarwar Ahmed Salehin and Dumuria Upazila Nirbahi Officer Shahnaz Begum from December 4 last year.
In the last one and a half months, a total of 297 mutation cases have been disposed off within just five days of public hearing. Besides, VP renewal, review cases and miscellaneous case hearings have also been taken and disposed off depending on the status. A total of 496 people have received different services on just those five days.
He also said he has launched 'One-Stop Service' under the guidance of the DC. He made sure the service-recipients need not pay a single penny except the government fees.
Sanjib Das expressed his firm commitment to make the upazila and the union land offices under 'dynamic, friendly and absolutely corruption-free' within the Mujib Barsha, the birth centenary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.