Bangladeshs land administration system is intricate due to manual record keeping, paper-based evidence, inaccurate survey records, and coordination problems among ministries and departments. To improve the mutation and other land-related services and attain the Vision 2021, the Government of Bangladesh (GoB) has taken initiatives for land administration through digitization. One of the initiatives was land E-Mutation, which enables citizens to submit an online application for change of ownership with reduced time, cost, and visits compared to the conventional method. The broad objective of this study was to analyze the impact of E-Mutation at Upazila land offices from citizens perspectives and explore the potentiality of mitigating corruption in Bangladesh. This study followed a quantitative approach where the survey method was conducted through a structured questionnaire. The study area was the Upazila land offices located in the Mymensingh district. The studys findings showed that citizens are aware of the E-Mutation process; however, there is a need for heightened digital literacy among them. The inauguration of E-Mutation has lessened citizens time, cost, and visits to the land offices. 76 percent opined that E-Mutation had decreased the time. 45 percent stated that mutation service had enhanced transparency through online-based applications and payment. Moreover, 35.8 percent of respondents opined that E-Mutation has a noteworthy impact on reducing corruption. Another notable finding is that 53.1 percent of respondents are satisfied to some extent; however, there are still challenges that need to be addressed, such as document processing, lack of digital literacy, and the interference of brokers at Upazila land offices. A further mixed-method study with a greater sample size would be beneficial to evaluate the overall impact of E-Mutation from the citizens perspective.
Bangladesh is the eighth most densely populated country in the world (Worldometer, 2023) where land is a valuable and scarce resource likewise in other countries. The ownership of any piece of the land is heavily contested and subject to frequent changes, highlighting the necessity for efficient land admin-istration services (UNPSA, 2020; FAO, 2013). Bang-ladesh manages the land-related records through acts from the British period with modifications made in the Pakistan and Bangladesh periods (Rahman and Hossain, 2020). The Ministry of Land (MoL), Mini-stry of the Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs (MLJPA), and Ministry of Public Administration (MoPA) are all involved in land administration and management. The ownership of land is documented through several tangible papers, for instance, deeds, parchas, registration and mutation, where different ministries and departments are involved (Rahman and Hossain, 2020). Consequently, the property ownership changes are complicated and lengthy, leading to dis-putes and corruption (Alam et al., 2022). The invol-vement of officials in land record management and the prolonged judicial process has worsened the system (Rahman and Hossain, 2020). Moreover, the land transfer process may be susceptible to several sales due to inadequate coordination among land administrative bodies. For instance, a buyers failure to manually update the record could end up in mul-tiple ownership - a common source of the disputes (Rahman, 2020). Therefore, Bangladeshs land admin-istration system is intricate due to the manual record keeping, paper-based evidence, inaccurate survey records, and coordination problems among ministries and departments responsible for land administration (Talukder, 2019). Transparency International Bangla-desh (TIB) report revealed that land remains a signi-ficant factor in 60 per cent of all awaiting civil cases or approximately 18 lakh cases. Another report from TIB stated that the rate of bribery in the land sector was 70 per cent back in the 2010. (Bribery Rampant Land Offices, 2015; the Transparency International Bangladesh, 2010). The most prevalent forms of corrupttion in land administration are the bribery of public servants, the falsification of land claim docu-mentation, the lack of accurate and up-to-date land records, inadequate oversight mechanisms, and delays in the land registration process (Transparency Inter-national, 2011).
In order to guarantee efficient land service delivery and address the long-standing issue of corruption in land administration, the need for a comprehensive strategy centered around innovation in land adminis-tration became indispensable (Ministry of the Land, 2020). In Bangladesh, land frequently changes hands; a crucial part of land administration record-keeping is mutation. Mutation is the record system for an owner-ship change, for instance, replacing the previous owners title with a new owner (Chowdhury, 2019, p. 5). To pursue Vision 2021 and enhance land-related services, the Government of Bangladesh (GoB) has inaugurated innovative land administration initiatives to replace the outdated service delivery model and automate the mutation process that would be hassle-free for the citizens (Chowdhury, 2019; Saif and Hawlader, 2018).
The GoB is making commendable progress toward digitizing public services to cut down on the time, expense, and inconsistencies associated with obtain-ing public services (Chowdhury, 2019, p. 3). Recog-nizing the potential benefits of digitization of the land management system, the GoB has initiated efforts to implement the innovation. The initial land manage-ment service to be digitalized was E-Mutation started in 2018, which enabled citizens to submit an online application for a mutation with reduced time, cost and visits compared to the conventional method (Rabbani and Hossain, 2019, The Financial Express, 2020). E-Mutation was launched in 61 districts, 485 Upazilas (sub-district) and 3,617 Union land offices on 1 July 2019. Recently, the Ministry of Land received the United Nations Public Service Award 2020 for the first time. Since the inauguration of the online appli-cation system under Digital Bangladesh, this plat-form has been delivering cost-effective services to citizens including women and disabled people (Kanda et al., 2021; The Business Standard, 2022).
Considering the potentiality of E-Mutation to redress the challenges of accessing mutation services from land offices, this study aimed to the explore citizens perspectives on how E-Mutation will facilitate hassle-free land mutation services with reduced time, cost, and visits in Bangladesh. Furthermore, the present study looked into how the E-Mutation presents an opportunity for combating corruption related to land mutation in Upazila Land Offices.
Objectives of the Study
The broad objective of this study was to assess the impact of E-Mutation from citizens perspectives and its potential to mitigate corruption in land offices of Mymensingh district. The specific objectives were:
a) To explore the existing practice of E-Mutation in the Upazila (sub-district) land offices;
b) To analyze how E-Mutation combats corruption at Upazila land offices;
c) To address the existing challenges of the E-Mutation system at Upazila land offices.
Review of Literature
This section reviews the relevant literature addressing the research objective: the existing practice of E-Mutation in the Upazila land offices, the impact of E-Mutation from citizens perspective and the factors contributing to the combating corruption through E-Mutation in Upazila land offices. The land adminis-tration system in Bangladesh is decentralized, with the majority of the land administration functions being carried out at the district and upazila levels (Ministry of the Land, 2017). The primary obligations include maintaining records of government-owned khas lands, allocating and managing vested and abandoned lands, conducting land surveys, and determining land owner-ship (Ministry of Land, 2017). Land administration creates, transfers, and extinguishes land rights (Islam, 2019). The land administration system in Bangladesh is still conventional and characterized by the ineffi-ciencies, complexity in record keeping, disputes and corruption. Moreover, corruption can lead to delays in land registration, unfair land use decisions, and biased land dispute resolution (Akter, 2022).
Fig. 1: E-Mutation Process; Adapted from Chowdhury, (2019, p. 7).
The increasing demand for the land due to a growing population underscores the importance of implement-ting a digitalized land administration and management system to enhance service delivery for expanding demographics (Hossain and Islam, 2019). The govern-ment has recognized the importance of land admin-istration and has taken steps to improve the land administration system, such as digitizing land records and launching the E-Mutation system (Akter, 2023). However, providing digital services presents several challenges for land offices (Akter, 2022). E-Mutation occurs when the new owners name is changed from that of the previous owners in the Khatiyan (Record of Rights) after land ownership has been transferred (Siddiqui, 1997). The process of E-Mutation involves several steps that start with a citizens application through the Zami website (Fig. 1). An office assistant from the land office assesses the application and provides observation as acceptable/voidable/waiting. AC Land then gives his first order to prepare the draft of mutation Khatian (Record of Rights-ROR). In the next step, an Upazila land office assistant (ULOA) prepares the RoR and sends it back to AC Land, where AC Land gives the second order, and a surve-yor conducts the survey. If there are no issues of inte-rest from the government, the surveyor signs the mutation Khatian (RoR) and sends it to the Kanungo (Chowdhury, 2019). Ministry of Land launched the Land Service Hotline 16122 on October 10, 2019, known as Citizen Land Service 24/7, and approxi-mately 7.5 lakh domestic calls were answered from the helpline in 2022. Landowners frequently take advantage of the helpline availing services: the land maps, records of rights (ROR, Khatiyan, or Porcha) via mail at home; paying ROR, mutation fees, and land development tax; applying for a mutation, land laws and regulations queries and complaints. Citizens can access land services by contacting 16122 and utilizing other digital services instead of visiting land offices, substantially reducing hassles and financial costs. Notably, there is now considerably less chance for dishonest government officials to misuse their position of authority, brokers or intermediaries frau-dulence and perpetuate corruption. Therefore, the transparency in mutation services is enhanced (Three Lakh People, 2022).
Public services that are the cumbersome and lengthy increase citizens hassles and dissatisfaction. In light of this, a2i (Aspire to Innovate) has evolved to simp-lify the service process (SPS) by adopting digital or mobile-based services. The goal of SPS is to lower TCV (time, cost, and visit) by addressing the follow-ing three factors: firstly, the time required for obtain-ing a service; secondly, cost; and thirdly, the number of visits needed to get service at the government offices (Siddiquee, 2023; Chowdhury, 2019). Asses-sing citizens perspectives of online-based services is pivotal to evaluating the effectiveness of the services. Time, Cost, and Visit (TCV) estimation is a special assessment that evaluates the service delivery process by calculating the impacts from the citizens pers-pective (Siddiquee, 2023). To assess the effectiveness of E-Mutation from the perspective of citizens a study was conducted by Chowdhury, (2009) that followed TCV measurement. The studys findings revealed that E-Mutation had reduced time, cost and number of visits compared to the manual system, eventually increasing citizens satisfaction (Chowdhury, 2019).
Land corruption has been pervasive due to citizens limited knowledge of land services, insufficient over-sight or monitoring, inadequate institutional capacity, shortage of human resources, and lack of participation of citizens, the civil society, and other stakeholders (Wheatland, 2016). To redress the corruption in land mutation services, interventions such as E-Mutation have the capacity to utilize ICT and ensure better service delivery to the citizens, eventually building citizens trust (OECD, 2005). Awareness and digital literacy have been emphasized as crucial factors in enhancing citizens satisfaction and trust in Upazila land offices in the studies of Khan et al., 2009; Akter, 2023. Apart from effective service delivery and trust-building, online-based services can strengthen trans-parency and accountability (United Nations, 2016). Moreover, citizens awareness of their rights, land-related rules, required documents, and digital literacy enables them to notice any mismanagement or corruption of land services (United Nations, 2016).
Though a limited amount of literature focused on the impact of E-Mutation, the service delivery process, and the capability to deliver mutation services with less time, visits, and costs, no studies have been conducted to analyze the impact of E-Mutation in reducing corruption at Upazila levels. Therefore, there is a dire need to conduct extensive research on E-Mutation to explore its potential to mitigate corrupt-tion at Upazila land offices and what barriers still need to be addressed.
Given that this study aimed to assess the impact of E-Mutation on strengthening service delivery, and com-bating corruption, this research followed an explo-ratory approach. For a deeper understanding of E-Mutation practices, the study employed a quantitative approach that provided investigator with numerical or quantitative data, patterns, and participant viewpoints to draw the conclusions about the study population (Creswell, 2009). A survey method that is widely used in social research was followed in this study to collect necessary data from the respondents. The survey method is suitable for obtaining information to exp-lain social phenomena and individuals ideas, thou-ghts, and perceptions (Aminuzzaman, 2011). The Mymensingh District was selected as the study area for the researchers convenience. The survey was conducted in the twelve Upazila land offices of the Mymensingh district. The citizens who visited the Upazila land offices for the land-related services, precisely the mutation-related services, were the respondents of this study. The service providers, for instance, Assistant Commissioner Land (AC Land) and Upazila Assistant Land Officers (UALO), were the key informants. Systematic and stratified (non-proportionate) sampling methods have been followed to select the representatives, and the sample size was two hundred and seventy-six (Table 1). The result obtained from this research by analyzing all the units is valid for the whole research area. In this study, data have been collected from two sources: primary and secondary. The primary data have been collected from the Upazila land offices of Mymensingh district through structured questionnaires and interviews. The questionnaire was pre-tested prior to data collection. The researcher has consulted with citizens and government officials of twelve Upazila land offices, which are situated in the Mymensingh district. Secon-dary data have been collected from published books, e-books, journals, articles, newspapers, relevant docu-ments and publications of the government agencies, reports of different organizations, and internet sources related to the study. The collected data were sorted, categorized, and presented according to the studys objectives through tables, bar charts, and pie charts. The data of the tables and charts have been discussed then. Moreover, the collected information and data have been processed using the MS Excel, Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) software. In this study, the researcher and data collection team have been constantly interacting with employees in a complex organizational environment (environment of the Upazila land offices) that may influence the research results. To cope with these influences, the researcher followed the ethics of social research in every step of the study, such as anonymity, confi-dentiality, informed consent, and honesty in analysis and report writing.
Table 1: Sample Size of the Study.
The significant findings of this study are explored in three major aspects: firstly, the present practice of E-Mutation; secondly, the impact of E-Mutation from residents perspective; and thirdly, the perception of service recipients about combating corruption through E-Mutation at Upazila land offices.
Demographic Profile of Respondent
The study followed a survey method for gathering data from respondents who visited twelve Upazila land offices for land E-Mutation services and the officials (AC Land and ULAOs) responsible for information and service delivery. The survey questionnaire contained questions about demographic information, citizens awareness and perception of the E-Mutation service, service delivery process, challenges faced, and corruption issues. According to the survey, 63.8 per cent of the respondents were male, and the rest, 36.2 per cent, were female, representing that men mainly process the E-Mutation application at the Upazila level. Most respondents fall into the age group of 28 to 37 (45 per cent), whereas 16 per cent belonged to the age group of 48 to above. Citizens from different age groups have expressed their opin-ions regarding land services delivery through online-based applications for mutation, as it has tracking options, is transparent, and requires fewer visits and time than the traditional method. The respondents from the different professional backgrounds revealed their perceptions of the how E-Mutation services are provided, what challenges they have faced. Among the respondents, 46 per cent are employed, and 19 per cent are housewives. In addition, 35 per cent (Fig. 2) of respondents identified as students; a notable fact is that some of them came to assist their parents in the online application for E-Mutation, and this group drew attention to the need for technological and logis-tics support and trained human resources for scaling up E-Mutation as well as the land record keeping services. Among the respondents, data revealed that 45 per cent of them have completed higher secondary education (HSC). In contrast, only 17 per cent have finished their bachelors degree (Fig. 2). Education plays a significant for in the process of completing an E-Mutation application, as without basic computer knowledge and digital literacy, citizens can not complete the E-Mutation application, use online pay-ment and tracking service. However, Union Digital Centres (UDCs) entrepreneurs can process online applications, upload necessary documents, and make payments.
Fig. 2: Demographic profile of respondents; (Source: Field Survey, 2023).Digital Literacy of Respondents
Citizens were asked about their digital literacy and computer knowledge, and the data showed that 38.2 per cent of the respondents could operate smartphones and computers. In comparison, 26 per cent said they had no computer or digital literacy. 35.8 per cent con-firmed that they have partial digital literacy; for the instance, they can browse the internet to search for information. However, the E-Mutation application was complicated because they needed to learn how to upload documents or check their applications status (Fig. 3).
Fig. 3: Digital literacy of respondents; (Source: Field Survey, 2023).
Knowledge and Awareness of Respondents about E-Mutation
The Upazila land office offers its citizens land-related services, though land services are complicated and time-consuming. Digitization has opened an online-based mutation process; therefore, citizens must be aware of the process, land laws, and land services offered by land offices. Regarding awareness, the respondents of this study were aware that they could apply online for E-Mutation and change land owner-ship in the Khatian (Record of Rights). Among the participants, 39.6 per cent said they learned about E-Mutation through friends or family. Moreover, 37 per cent of respondents knew through government adver-tisements, and 23.1 per cent of the respondents lear-ned through social media (Fig. 4). Citizens access to information and awareness about e-services are essen-tial to assess the effectiveness of digital service deli-very. Insufficient knowledge and lack of awareness about the E-Mutation system might result in contac-ting intermediaries (brokers), and giving bribe to officials to obtain mutation services. Consequently, they might have to deal with several issues affecting their satisfaction with the land office, delays in the mutation processing, the most significantly, excessive payment, and interference of middlemen.
Present Status of E-Mutation
The GoB has moved the mutation registration process - a change in a propertys title ownership in the Khati- yan (Record of Rights) online to save applicants time and hassle at land offices. Currently, the E-Mutation starts with an online application and payment of fees. The total registration cost is Tk 1,170, which includes the court fee of Tk 20, the notice issuance fee of Tk 50, the record correction fee of Tk 1,000, and the mutation ledger collection fee of Tk 100.
Fig. 4: Knowledge and awareness about E-Mutation; (Source: Field Survey, 2023).
These fees must be payable online via an internet banking service or a mobile wallet that has made the payment process faster and saved citizens time (Bangladesh Mandates Online, 2022). After payment is completed, a notice is conveyed through email or SMS; later on, citizens attend the hearing in person. An online tracking option allows citizens to track updates of mutated records on Khatian (Chowdhury, 2019). E-Mutation application status is updated daily and monthly from 4574 offices. Country-wise status showed that E-Mutation applications (as of July 2023) are administered with an average resolved day of 24, and the number of cases resolved is 3,66,667. The acceptance rate is 75 per cent, and only 24 per cent of cases crossed 28 days to complete the E-Mutation process (Ministry of Land, 2023). The overall status of Mymensingh district is shown in the table below (Table 2). The acceptance rate for application was the highest (99 percent) at Mymensingh Sadar Upa-zila land office, whereas the lowest was at Nandail (48 per cent) among the twelve Upazila land offices. The most interesting finding is that Mymensingh Sadar required only 4 days on average. Conversely, the average number of days required was 23 at Nandail. It is evident that the Mymensingh Sadars E-Mutation service delivery process is more effective compared to the other Upazila land offices; the promi-nent reason is the location, level of education and digital literacy, and better infrastructure and logistics support. Furthermore, the number of E-Mutation applications is the highest in the Mymensingh Sadar (3278); the second highest application was resolved by Trishal, (1778) and the lowest was by the Nadail Upazila land office (433). Another noteworthy finding was the duration of mutation application processing (Table 2), which revealed that most land offices did not exceed four weeks. Previously, the time required for mutation was considerably more than the present-above four weeks, which asserts that the E-Mutation has lessened the duration.
Table 2: Present Status of E-Mutation at Land Offices.
Source: Ministry of Land (https://mutation.land.gov.bd/; July, 2023).
Impact of E-Mutation from Citizens Perspective
Compared to the conventional mutation system, E-Mutation has been anticipated to simplify land services where citizens can apply by themselves or seek help from officials, check updates of the appli-cations, and pay fees through online banking. The figure below (Fig. 5) represented the respondents per-ceptions regarding the impact of E-Mutation. Among the respondents, a sizeable portion (42.7 per cent) stated that the prominent impact of E-Mutation is the faster processing time. As discussed in the previous section, on average, the E-Mutation processing time is four weeks in most of the Upazila land offices con-sidered in this study. At the same time, 28.1 per cent emphasized the transparency of the process, as the features of E-Mutation, such as the fixed application processing fee, notification through SMS/email, and application ID for tracking, have made the process more open. In addition, 10.8 per cent of respondents stated that they benefitted from reduced costs, and 6.9 per cent opined that it had reduced corruption cases. Furthermore, 11.5 per cent of respondents marked all of the above options as their opinion (Fig. 5). Overall, service recipients were willing to use online services to change their property ownership at reduced cost, time and visits. Despite the majority of respondents mentioned positive impact of the new system, one third of them did not agree that E-Mutation allowed to reduce application costs.
Fig. 5: Impact of e-mutation; (Source: Field Survey, 2023).
Perception of Citizens about Reduction of Time, Cost and Visit (TCV) in E-Mutation
The TCV instrument can analyze public services from the perspective of citizens. Such evaluations allow the government to take corrective action to enhance the public service delivery by prioritizing citizen reviews. Moreover, citizens also discover discrepancies and errors in service delivery, which can improve account-ability and transparency in public service provision and enhance citizen-government trust-building. Digi-tization of land services follows the method of simpli-fying the public services (SPS). The respondents were asked about any time changes required for E-Mutation completion. A sizeable number of respondents (76 per cent) opined that the duration of the E-Mutation has decreased. According to the survey data, the majority of citizens had similar observations. However, 24 per cent (Fig. 6) of the respondents opined that the required time for E-Mutation service has not been reduced. Some citizens needed to wait for longer than 28 days due to discrepancies in their deeds, missing documents, or existing disputes. The cost for an E-Mutation application is fixed at 1170 taka by the government, including court fees, notice issuance, and record correction fees. According to the survey data, the majority of respondents (68 per cent) indicated that the cost of E-Mutation has been reduced, and they can complete the process by paying the fixed fees through the online payment. In contrast, among the respondents, 32 per cent (Fig. 6) stated that the cost of E-Mutation did not decrease. They had to pay extra money to process documents, such as photocopying and application processing fees, as they sought help from officials/entrepreneurs to complete online appli-cations. There were cases where respondents lost their documents and paid extra for fetching /retrieving documents. Digitization of public services can ensure faster delivery of services by lessening citizens visits to government offices. In the case of E-Mutation, they get a notification through SMS or email after appli-cation. Moreover, they can track their application using their date of birth, application ID, and area of the land. When respondents were asked about the reduced number of visits, a significant number of the respondents gave positive responses. The field survey found that 82 per cent of the respondents opined that the E-Mutation has reduced their number of visits to the Upazila land offices. Conversely, 18 per cent (Fig. 6) of respondents argued that the number of visits did not lessen. Despite online applications and payment systems for E-Mutation, they needed to visit the land offices multiple times. The probable reason was that they needed to be fully aware of the application process, the lacked mandatory documents, and inter-ference from brokers.
Fig. 6: Perception about reduction of Time, Cost and Visit (TCV); (Source: Field Survey, 2023).
Transparency Enhancement through E-Mutation
Transparency in service delivery is essential for scaling up land-related services in Bangladesh. The online-based mutation application process has created opportunities for land offices to increase transparency and eventually build trust among citizens. The respon-dents were asked about the transparency of the E-Mutation. The following figure (Fig. 7) represents the respondents perception regarding the transparency enhancement through the E-Mutation process. Accor-ding to the survey data, 45 per cent of the respondents expressed that the E-Mutation would help to enhance transparency, and 24.2 per cent stated that they were unaware of it. In addition, 30.8 per cent of respon-dents stated that E-Mutation would not enhance trans-parency in land offices (Fig. 7). In the E-Mutation process, several officials, such as ULAOs and surve-yors, are involved in the checking, investigating and sketching maps. They have to update once they complete checking and investigation on the website and then proceed to the next step. Therefore, citizens can trace the stage of their application and query about any unwanted delay. It is evident from the survey data that citizens perspectives on E-Mutation have made the investigation and verification process more transparent is affirmative.
Fig. 7: Transparency enhancement through E-Mutation process; (Source: Field Survey, 2023).
Reducing Exploitation by Intermediaries/ Brokers
For smooth delivery of land services at Upazila land offices, it is crucial to lessen the presence and exploit-tation of intermediaries, brokers and touts. They took advantage of citizens lack of awareness of the muta-tion process and mandatory documents. The inaugu-ration of the E-Mutation has created an opportunity to free citizens from harassment, extra payments, and lengthy processing due to brokers interference. The following figure represents the respondents percep-tion regarding mitigating intermediaries exploitation through E-Mutation. Among the participants, 64 per cent responded that the E-Mutation initiative has lessened the intermediaries/brokers exploitation. In addition, 24 per cent of respondents stated that midd-leman exploitation still exists (Fig. 8). A notable finding from the study is that 12 per cent of respon-dents opined that the interference of brokers had
increased due to the lack of the computer and digital literacy of citizens. Therefore, regarding the decline in middleman exploitation, some Upazila land offices are still left behind.
Fig. 8: Reducing exploitation by intermediaries/ brokers; (Source: Field Survey, 2023).
Combating Corruption through E-Mutation in Upazila Land Offices
The land management system of Bangladesh is com-plex, and corruption cases are comparatively higher than in the other sectors. Corruption in land man-agement has caused financial losses and suffering for citizens. The monitoring system of the land offices is intricate due to a need for more human resources and a digital record-keeping system. The digitization of land services, specifically E-Mutation, would decre-ase the hassles, corruption, and mismanagement in the mutation process and update the record of the rights. Respondents perspectives on the capability of the E-Mutation to reduce corruption have been collected. The following figure represents the respondents per-ception regarding whether E-Mutation will help reduce corruption. Among the respondents, 35.8 per cent responded that E-Mutation would help reduce corru-ption, and the 33.1 per cent were unsure about it. In addition, 35.8 per cent of the respondents expressed concerns that E-Mutation would not contribute to combating corruption in Upazila land offices as the citizens still depend on officials and middlemen for mutation applications and verification of documents (Fig. 9).
Fig. 9: Combating corruption through e-mutation; (Source: Field Survey, 2023).
Key Factors in Combating Corruption through E-Mutation
Corruption in land administration is one of the chall-enges in the land service delivery the GoB has been addressing for years. The figure below (Fig. 10) shows the respondents opinions regarding the critical factors for combating corruption through E-Mutation. Among the respondents, 27.3 per cent stated that the reduction of the TCV significantly impacts corruption mitigation in Upazila land offices. From the respon-dents perspective, the decreased time, cost, and visits indicated that E-Mutation applications are resolved faster with no extra payments; therefore, there are fewer chances for corruption in land offices regarding E-Mutation. Among the participants, 20.2 per cent opined that E-Mutation had enhanced transparency in the mutation process through timely notifications, online payment, and the provision of application IDs for tracking the progress of mutation. Awareness and digital literacy were considered significant factors by 17.3 percent of the respondents. The Ministry of Lands website has explicit instructions for applying E-Mutation. The Citizen Land Service 24/7 dedicated helpline number assists citizens with information and quick solutions, thus increasing awareness. Digital literacy allows citizens to apply online what restricts officials and intermediaries from asking for bribes and harassment. Among the respondents, 13.8 per cent emphasized advanced technology for land offices to keep updated records, and 10.2 per cent stated that lessening the number of intermediaries involved was an influential factor in mitigating corruption (Fig. 10).
Fig. 10: Key factors in combating corruption through E-Mutation; (Source: Field Survey, 2023).
Satisfaction Level with the E-Mutation Service Delivery Process
The figure below shows the respondents opinions regarding the satisfaction level with the E-Mutation service delivery process. Among the respondents, a subsequent number (53.1 per cent) stated they were somewhat satisfied, and 16.9 per cent said they were satisfied. In addition, 10.8 per cent of respondents opined that they were very satisfied. The online appli-cation and payment system enabled them to complete mutation within fewer visits and a shorter period of time. The tracking system has allowed them to get information about the progress of their application, saved their frequent visits to land offices, and allowed avoid the brokers interference. Furthermore, 13.8 per cent of the respondents remained neutral regarding this question. On the other hand, only 5.4 per cent showed dissatisfaction with the overall E-Mutation process as it was more complicated, costly, and took longer for them to update ownership at the record of rights (Fig. 11).
Fig. 11: Satisfaction level with E-Mutation service delivery; (Source: Field Survey, 2023).
Challenges Faced by Citizens in E-Mutation
The E-Mutation initiative was inaugurated under land digitization nationwide to transform the age-old land service through the land offices. Bangladeshs land administration system faces many challenges, inclu-ding delayed service delivery, disputes, fraud by the brokers, and corruption: bribes, inaccurate surveys and record keeping, and misuse of the power. Land disputes are common in Bangladesh due to several issues, such as inaccurate land records and the com-plexity of the land laws. Moreover, digital literacy, difficulties in getting scanned copies (Record of the Rights/Khatian/ the Survey Record), the nuisance of brokers/intermediaries, lack of trained officials, and lack of technical support are creating barriers to effec-tive land service delivery to the citizens. Participants views on the prevailing barriers at the Upazila land offices are illustrated in the following figure (Fig. 12). 52 per cent of the service recipients underpinned de- lays in document verification and surveys as the major challenge of E-Mutation. Citizens lack of the digital literacy is identified as the second most crucial obstacle. As E-Mutation is entirely online based, including the payment system, digital literacy has immense the significance for a successful mutation. Another shortcoming is the presence of intermedi-aries/ brokers at the compounds of land offices, as stated by 10 per cent (Fig. 12) of respondents. They grab the opportunity to demand extra fees from citi-zens unaware of the E-Mutation process and unable to apply online.
Fig. 12: Challenges faced by citizens in E-Mutation; (Source: Field Survey).
From the above discussion, the citizens who visited the Upazila land offices are mostly aware that they can apply for the E-Mutation and the required docu-ments. This finding complies with study conducted by Chowdhury, (2019). However, according to the findings of Akter, (2023) citizens awareness has to be increased for an effective E-Mutation system. Another notable finding of the study is that digital literacy is crucial for the e-mutation, and citizens and service providers need to acquire more technical and ICT-based knowledge, as Akter, (2023) suggested. Saif and Hawlader, (2018) have stated the necessity for computer-based knowledge and awareness regarding the procedure of mutations. One noteworthy finding about the impact of E-Mutation from the perspective of citizens was the reduced time, cost, and visits. Interestingly, similar results have been confirmed in the research conducted by Saif and Hawlader, 2018; Chowdhury, 2019; Hasan and Gourab, 2023. Hasan and Gourab, (2023) opined that one of the significant factors in enhancing citizens satisfaction with E-Mutation is that it has lessened the interference of brokers in land offices. The same opinion has been found the citizens of this study, as 64 per cent (Fig. 8) agreed that the E-Mutation has reduced the ex-ploitation of the intermediaries. On the contrary, according to the findings from the work of the Akter, (2023) citizens still get trapped by intermediaries due to their inadequate knowledge of online applications and payment systems. Sakib et al. (2022) stated that in Bangladesh, one of the prominent challenges of the land sector is corruption, which has to be lessened to ensure better land services to citizens. Among the respondents of this study, the 35.8 per cent (Fig. 9) opined that E-Mutation has a positive impact on reducing corruption. Akter, (2022) has discussed that digitization in land administration enabled oppor-tunities to ensure the transparency and the build trust among citizens, which is essential to the mitigate corruption. Regarding corruption in the land services, respondents opined that the mediators presence from the Upazila land office compounds has to be the res-trained. Additionally, the technological and logistics support has to be enhanced, and the digital literacy of both citizens and officials has to be increased through training. Overall, feedback mechanisms have to be ensured in the land offices.
Digitization of public services has enabled citizens access to information and services, making service delivery more open, accountable, inclusive and effect-tive. In Bangladesh, the land mutation is a crucial function of the Upazila land offices for updating the change of ownership in the Record of Rights. The introduction of the E-Mutation system in land admin-istration has immense significance in reducing the time, cost and number of the citizens visits to land offices. The studys findings revealed citizens pers-pectives on the impact of E-Mutation. The required time, the cost, and visit for the mutation have been reduced at Upazila level. However, despite the evi-dent benefits outlined in this study, respondents need digital literacy to use the digital system. As transpar-ency has been enhanced due to online applications, payment and tracking systems, respondents opined that E-Mutation could contribute to reducing corrupt-tion in land offices.
However, there are still some obstacles; the primary challenges appeared to be the processing of papers, insufficient digital literacy, and shortage of human resources at Upazila level. Additionally, the study identified another concern: the presence of middlemen or brokers raises the chances of corruption. A further mixed-method study with a larger sample size on evaluating the E-Mutation at the Upazila land offices could be beneficial. While implementing land E-Mutation systems has the potential to reduce corrupt-tion significantly, its effectiveness is limited by the several challenges that should be the addressed. This study suggests the following recommendations:
Firstly, E-mutation process stakeholders, such as the citizens, entrepreneurs of UDCs, and officials of land offices, should achieve a sufficient level of digital literacy by completing relevant training. The pro-vision of such training would raise awareness of the processes and enable citizens to complete land E-Mutation without hassle. Secondly, the investigations, record-keeping, and the dispute resolution processes should be transparent to citizens to avoid miscom-munication and corruption. Thirdly, communication and coordination between the ministries and depart-ments are required to resolve ownership-related disputes. Finally, there is a need for a feedback mech-anism to improve the service providers accountability and transparency and restrict middleman exploitation and corruption.
The author would like to the express gratitude to the Research and Extension Centre, Jatiya Kabi Kazi Nazrul Islam University, for providing financial assis-tance. The author also recognizes the contribution of citizens and officials of Upazila Land Offices situated in Mymensingh district through participating in the study as the respondents and providing their valuable time and perceptions.
The author is declaring that there is no conflict of interest regarding this study, the authorship, or public-ation of this article.
Academic Editor
Dr. Sonjoy Bishwas, Executive, Universe Publishing Group (UniversePG), California, USA.
Assistant Professor, Department of Public Administration and Governance Studies, Jatiya Kabi Kazi Nazrul Islam University, Trishal, Mymensingh-2224, Bangladesh.
Begum S. (2023). Citizens perspective on land E-Mutation at upazila land offices in Mymensingh, Asian J. Soc. Sci. Leg. Stud., 5(6), 291-305. https://doi.org/10.34104/ajssls.023.02910305