86,000 Mutation Applications Stalled by Software Glitches

Dinesh Matubbar, a resident of Parulia Mouza in Baliakandi upazila of Rajbari, has been running from office to office to correct a land record discrepancy. While the SA record shows 26 decimals of land, the BS record lists only 3 decimals.

No, local land office officials are not deliberately making Dinesh run around; his correction has been stalled due to limitations in the software system. But Dinesh does not understand such technicalities. One day he goes to one office, the next day to another, moving from one desk to another. This endless running around has become synonymous with the land office. Because of technology, ineffective paperwork, the lure of extra money and red tape, people like Dinesh are left struggling.

Although the upazila land office issued a manual order to correct the record, whenever he tries to apply online, the system repeatedly displays the message: “Correction application is not possible as mutation has already been completed from the  khatiyan.” In other words, despite having manual approval, he cannot submit an online application for correction of the  khatiyan. And without an online correction of the  khatiyan, it is also impossible to process a mutation from it.

Moazzem Hossain of Baliakandi Sadar Union is facing the same problem.

Baliakandi Upazila Assistant Commissioner (Land) Ehsanul Haque Shipon expressed frustration over the issue. He said, “So far, our software (Digital Land Record Management System) has not developed an option to solve this issue. I have learned that it is under process. However, we also do not know when it will be fixed.”

Sazzad Hossain of Bokshipur Mouza in Madhukhali wants to complete a mutation based on two deeds. One is a saf kobala deed and the other is an ewaz or exchange deed. When he went to submit an online application from a local service center, he learned that the system does not allow two different deed types to be selected in a single application. As a result, he has to submit two separate applications, meaning he must pay double fees for the same piece of land.

When asked about the issue, the concerned land official said that field-level officials have no control over the website’s options or software design.

The suffering is not limited to Dinesh Matubbar or Sazzad Hossain; many others are now facing similar experiences. Even several years after the launch of the much-publicized Land Management Automation Project of the Ministry of Land, field-level officials remain trapped by numerous technological limitations. Data inconsistencies and server problems continue to exist, and in many cases these issues are making services more complicated instead of easier.

An investigation found that, like Dinesh Matubbar and Sazzad Hossain, nearly 86,000 people have had their mutation applications stalled for months due to software complications. This information comes from the Ministry of Land’s mutation website.

The law requires mutation applications to be resolved within just 28 days. However, in reality, not all applications can be settled within that time frame. In many cases, additional time is required to verify whether the relevant  khatiyan is available online, whether there are errors in the application, or whether government land ownership or interests are involved with the property. In addition, there are server problems and technological complications.

The Land Management Automation Project began in July 2020 at a cost of nearly Tk 11.97 billion. Its goal was to ensure land-related services, including mutation, payment of land development tax and collection of  khatiyans from home.

Currently, e-mutation services are operational in 516 upazila and circle land offices and 3,467 union land offices across the country. More than 650 million khatiyans are available online, and information on nearly 570 million holdings has been converted into a digital database.

On paper, this represents Bangladesh’s digital land management system. But the reality at the field level suggests that the lack of coordination among various platforms remains a major obstacle.

According to land officials, three separate platforms are currently used for land services: e-mutation, land development tax and the Land Record and Map Management System (DLRMS). Although these three systems have now been integrated, their original designs and data structures were different. As a result, numerous complications have emerged during the integration process.

In the old version of e-mutation, land measurements were recorded in decimals, including fractions. Later, the system was changed to percentages and hundredths without decimals. Currently, land is being recorded in acres. However, land development tax receipts have always recorded land in percentages. A sufferer at the Baliakandi Land Office asked this reporter, “Have the officials thought that all of us, like them, can instantly convert and understand acres, percentages and hundredths?”

Meanwhile, information from many khatiyans created under the previous version has not yet been properly integrated into the new system. In particular, e-mutation khatiyans created with decimal figures still do not transfer correctly to the DLRMS system. Land measurements change in the process. Before a mutation proposal can be submitted, these errors must first be corrected. For that, applicants have to move from desk to desk at land offices. In many cases, information cannot be found in DLRMS even though the  khatiyan was created online.

In such situations, the relevant khatiyan must go through a new administrative process for data entry or correction. The correction is completed only after approval from the data entry operator, surveyor or kanungo and the Assistant Commissioner (Land). Although citizens bear no responsibility for these problems, they are forced to endure additional delays and suffering.

Field-level officials say the structural inconsistencies within the system are a bigger problem than server issues. In many cases, the software cannot reconcile old data with new data. As a result, applications become stalled or require manual correction. The response from the support team has not been encouraging. Even after raising issues in WhatsApp groups, solutions are not forthcoming. Officials repeatedly face the same types of problems, yet there is no permanent solution. The support team provides separate solutions for individual cases but takes no measures to stop the root causes of the problems. In many instances, they cannot resolve the problems at all.

Total Pending Applications

A total of 443,841 applications are currently under process, with an overall approval rate of about 65.1 percent.

In Jessore Sadar upazila, about 9,500 mutation applications remain unresolved. Of these, 73 percent have been waiting for more than 28 days, making it one of the country’s largest backlogs.

Jessore Sadar Assistant Commissioner (Land) Md. Shamim Hossain told Agamir Somoy in response to a question, “A mutation application has to pass through several administrative stages before reaching final approval. The two main reasons for delays are the huge number of previously accumulated applications and the slow online server. Sometimes a single application takes a long time to process because of the server. However, we are making every effort to dispose of mutation applications quickly.”

The largest backlog exists in Khulna Division, where nearly 74,000 applications are pending. In the division, 39 percent of applications have exceeded the 28-day limit. Satkhira has the highest proportion of unresolved applications older than 28 days at 46 percent.

S.M. Ashikul Islam, system analyst of the Land Management Automation Project under the Ministry of Land, said, “This is a very large-scale issue. We are always working to resolve server complications. There was some slowdown for a few days because of land tax. We mainly implement the instructions that come from above.”

This reporter spoke with four Assistant Commissioners (Land) on the issue. On condition of anonymity, they said that the server often becomes nonfunctional during office hours. Sometimes applications do not open, sometimes approval options do not work, and sometimes the same task must be performed multiple times. It is not possible to work normally even on holidays.

The success of digital land services does not depend solely on launching a website or putting information online. Data quality, software architecture, system integration and long-term maintenance are equally important. Otherwise, even project worth billions of takas cannot achieve its intended results.

According to them, an Assistant Commissioner (Land) currently needs to make about 13 clicks to complete a mutation process. In reality, however, it is very rare for the entire process to be completed in one uninterrupted session.

Parvez Mia, an entrepreneur involved in land services, said, “Many times, even after paying the application fee, an error message appears because of server problems. Sometimes, after uploading the required documents, they no longer appear in the system. As a result, a new application has to be submitted or complications arise over expired court fees.”

Md. Ataur Rabbi, senior assistant secretary of the Land Management Automation Project, said, “I learned about the problems through you. I will speak with the system analysts and try to resolve these issues quickly.”

State Minister for Land Mir Mohammad Helal Uddin told Agamir Somoy, “The government is continuing its work to make land services easier and faster. Strict measures are being taken to resolve backlogs in areas where mutation processes are delayed.” He added, “Activities are being carried out with the goal of ensuring that citizens receive land services easily and within a short period through the automation project. No form of irregularity or corruption is being tolerated, nor will it be tolerated. If there are any complications or errors in the system, they will be removed quickly. At the same time, if specific information about problems is provided, initiatives will be taken on a priority basis to resolve them swiftly.”