Staff shortage disrupts services at Gazipur’s 35 land offices
Graphics: Agamir Somoy
Land services in Gazipur are facing severe disruption because of a staff shortage, with only 10 land assistant officers serving across 35 land offices.
According to district administration sources, out of the district’s 35 land offices, a land assistant officer is present in only 10 offices. In the remaining 25 offices, land sub-assistant officers are performing duties as acting officers and 13 posts of land sub-assistant officers are also lying vacant.
Moreover, only 48 employees are working against 61 sanctioned posts of land sub-assistant officers. As a result, officials are struggling to deliver services while service seekers face continuous hardship.
Lutfor Rahman, a resident of the Bhogra area, said, “I have been visiting the land office for a year for a single piece of work. Although new dates are given repeatedly, the work has not been completed.”
Meanwhile, Saiful Islam, a businessman from the Gacha area, added, “The pace of work is being disrupted because there are no full-fledged land assistant officers in the land office. There is a difference between the rank and duties of an officer-in-charge. If full-fledged officers were present, service seekers would receive prompt service.”
At the Bhawal Mirzapur Land Office, only three employees are working against six sanctioned posts. Acting Land Assistant Officer Mahbubul Haq noted, “People from three unions have to be served through this office. But due to the lack of necessary manpower, providing the desired services has become difficult.”
Along with the severe manpower shortage, there is frustration among officers over not receiving promotions.
Abdul Jabbar, acting land assistant officer of the Sofipur Land Office, shared that after joining the service in 2003, he has remained in the exact same post for 23 years. Although service rules mandate an opportunity for promotion after seven years, it did not happen due to complexities surrounding recruitment rules.
Similarly, Mohammad Chan Miah, acting land assistant officer of the Salna Land Office, said various posts have fallen vacant due to retirement and death. As officers promoted from other districts joined in Gazipur, frustration grew among local officers who were awaiting promotion.
Ali Hossain, president of the Gazipur district branch of the Bangladesh Land Officers Welfare Association, added, “Although population and land-related workload have increased, manpower has not increased accordingly. As a result, it is difficult to provide timely service with limited staff.”
Addressing the issue, Deputy Commissioner Md Nurul Karim Bhuiyan assured that initiatives have been taken to recruit for vacant posts. Recruitment operations will be completed once government authorization is granted and the promotion and posting of officers based on eligibility are also being considered.
