53 MECHANISMS TO ADDRESS CONFLICT AND VIOLENCE The Land Appeals Board and Land Reforms Board are in charge of administrative dispute resolution over land. Assistant Commissioners, Additional Deputy Commissioners, and Additional Commissioners hand down decisions on disputes. These two bodies are the final arbiters in matters of khas land, changes in records, mutation, plot demarcation, and taxation at the lower levels. After administrative decision, people can take their cases to the lower court, which is the first step of a judicial procedure. Land litigation in Bangladesh is characterized by a huge backlog of cases, high legal expenditure, corruption, bribery, and harassment. Land litigation leads to destitution and distress among the families involved. Corrupt government officials, influential locals, and touts are the only beneficiaries of the system (Barkat & Roy, 2004). The formal legal and judicial system is obviously cumbersome in Bangladesh and does not work in the end. One in every seven households in Bangladesh is involved in land disputes, according to a study conducted in 14 districts. About two million land related cases are pending with the judiciary, which make up more than 70 percent of all litigations in the country (BRAC HRLS-PRI, 2014). Of those resolved, each dispute took about three years to be adjudicated, but some cases found settlement after 17 years. However, the average time a case remains pending is approximately eight years, while a few cases have been continuing for nearly 40 to 50 years. POLICY IMPLICATION AND RECOMMENDATIONS For government Repeal discriminatory laws against marginalized people– such as against women’s land and inheritance rights, and against indigenous peoples land entitlements before any reforms like formulation of a comprehensive land policy or land governance system. Enact a specific law to prevent land grabbing and ensure quick resolution of land disputes. Establish an independent land commission for the plain land indigenous people to protect their land human rights and resolve land disputes. n n n Bangladesh Land Conflict Monitoring Report Land administration and management is the realm of the Ministry of Land, which has four divisions: i) Land Administration; ii) Land Appeal Board; iii) Land Reforms Board; and, iv) Directorate of Land Record & Survey (DLRS).