State minister waits on the veranda as officials fail to turn up on time

Without prior notice, state minister for land Kayser Kamal visited a union land office under Narayanganj Sadar upazila.

At the scheduled time, only the cleaner was present, while the rest of the officials and employees were absent. Their rooms were locked.

As a result, the state minister had to sit and wait on a chair placed on the office veranda.

The incident took place at Siddhirganj union land office at around 9:00 am on Wednesday.

The state minister expressed dissatisfaction after finding that officials and employees were not present at the office at the designated time.

Witnesses said that although the main gate of the land office was open when he arrived for the inspection in the morning, the rooms of the officials and staff were locked. He then waited for nearly half an hour on a chair on the veranda.

During this time, he noticed a service seeker waiting there to receive land services and called the person over phone to speak with him.

The officials and employees arrived at the office almost half an hour after the state minister had already reached, after being informed of his presence.

The state minister later asked the officials and employees why they had failed to attend the office on time. After they offered their explanations, he expressed dissatisfaction.

Speaking to journalists after the inspection, Kayser Kamal said, “There are questions surrounding land offices across the country. There are many complaints and grievances. Most importantly, there remains a gap between the service-providing officials at land offices and the service seekers. They do not clearly inform people how long it may take to receive a particular service. Our traditional bureaucratic mindset still prevails. As officials and employees of the republic, they are not building proper engagement with the public. Under the directive of prime minister Tarique Rahman, we are working on these issues.”

The state minister further said, “What we have seen here today in Siddhirganj, we will take action in accordance with the rules. This surprise visit will not be limited to Siddhirganj. We will go to any office, in any part of Bangladesh, on any day. We will continue to uphold the government’s declared zero-tolerance policy against corruption.”

Attempts to reach Siddhirganj union land assistant officer Nasir Uddin by phone were unsuccessful, as he did not respond to multiple calls.

Later, assistant commissioner (land) of the Siddhirganj region, Debyani Kar, said, “I was on official half-day leave for personal reasons, so I could not go there in person. As far as I know, the state minister visited and did not find the officials and employees present. He waited for a considerable time. The deputy commissioner and upazila executive officer (UNO) are aware of the matter, and they will take the necessary action.”