Successive governments have passed many land-related laws over the
years but these have failed to establish people’s land rights. Barkat (2015)
analyzed 146 land-related laws that are causing endless sufferings to people,
because these are either too complex or contradictory to one another. Some
land related laws and ordinances include:
r The Land Survey Act 1875;
r The Transfer of Property Act 1882;
r The Bengal Tenancy Act 1885;
r The Public Demands Recovery Act 1913;
r The Survey and Settlement Manual 1935;
r The Non-agricultural Tenancy Act 1949;
r The State Acquisition and Tenancy Act 1950;
r The Land Development Tax Ordinance 1976;
r The Acquisition and Requisition of Immovable Property Ordinance
1982;
r The Land Reforms Ordinance 1984;
r The Land Reform Board Ordinance 1989;
r The Land Appeal Board Ordinance1989;
r The Land Management Manual 1990 (Islam, Moula and Islam, 2015).
Land Administration
Land administration deals with the creation, transfer, and extinguishment
of land rights. However, land administration in Bangladesh includes
the administration of land revenues, surveys, and certificates. The land
administration system is outdated and characterized by inefficiencies and
corruption.
Land Governance
Bangladesh is one of the world’s most densely populated countries, and
recently, competition for land and resources has made it a hotspot for land
conflicts.
The country’s weak system of land governance, rooted in the British colonial
administration, contributes to these conflicts through its inefficiency. Threequarters of all pending court cases in Bangladesh are related to land, costing
an estimated 10 percent of the country’s GDP. The conversion and transfer of
agricultural land, often through forged documents is a major concern, with one
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Upholding Land Rights amidst the Land Rush
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