Land Minister Md. Mizanur Rahman Minu on Wednesday told parliament that the government has taken a series of steps to curb irregularities and corruption at upazila-level land offices across the country.

Replying to a written question from NCP lawmaker Akhter Hossen (Rangpur-4), the minister said e-mutation services have been made mandatory to eliminate the interference of middlemen.

“Citizens are now required to submit applications online and they receive SMS notifications at every stage of the process such as notice issuance, hearings, and approvals to prevent any illicit intervention,” he said.

Minu said the introduction of an online land development tax system has significantly reduced opportunities for cash-based irregularities at union land offices.

He said  citizens can now pay land development taxes directly to the government treasury using their National ID through bKash, Nagad, Rocket, and other online banking platforms, bringing illegal financial transactions close to zero.

The minister also said strict directives have been issued to ensure the presence and accountability of field-level officials.

He added that regular surprise inspections are being conducted by deputy commissioners and upazila nirbahi officers alongside monitoring visits by ministry officials.

“Immediate show-cause notices and departmental actions are being taken against officials found negligent or absent from duty,” he said.

The minister added that citizens can lodge complaints directly by calling the hotline 16122 if they face bribery demands or harassment by broker syndicates.

He said the hotline remains operational 24/7 and all complaints are monitored directly by the Ministry of Land.

To prevent map or land record forgery, he said the government has launched pilot digital surveys using drones and modern technologies which will produce more accurate maps and reduce human error in record correction.

“The initiative will gradually be expanded nationwide,” he added.

The minister further said that citizens can receive services free of cost at the Tejgaon Citizen Service Centre in Dhaka.

Through the official land service portal, he said people can access land records (khatian) of any mouza and obtain certified copies by post upon payment of prescribed fees, reducing dependence on middlemen and extra costs.

He added that a land service mobile app, grievance redress system, land acquisition system, lease and settlement system, and other software solutions are being developed to enhance transparency and service delivery.

“These initiatives are expected to further reduce corruption in the land sector,” he added.