State Minister for Land Saifuzzaman Chowdhury Javed suspended a land ministry official and transferred two others for alleged corruption and irregularities during a surprise visit to a land office in Chittagong yesterday afternoon.
While visiting the Kattali land office, the state minister ordered the suspension of Safiq Uddin, a deputy assistant land official, as he was reportedly taking his time to clear some cases.
He also ordered the transfers of assistant land official Akkas Uddin and deputy assistant land official ABM Masum for allegedly taking additional money as revenue and not depositing the revenue collected in the government coffers on time.
The two officials were also asked to explain the charges against them.
Saifuzzaman also visited Sadar and Chandgaon circle land offices yesterday.
The state minister later directed SM Abdul Quader, additional deputy commissioner (revenue) of Chittagong district administration, to conduct mobile courts in the land offices to wipe out all kinds of irregularities.
Saifuzzaman told journalists that no kind of irregularity would be tolerated in the land offices and such sudden visits would continue to take place. He also said the government had a plan to create a “land bank” with state-owned land.