RS Records Remain Unavailable Online, Over 600 Landowners in Shahbazpur Face Hardship

More than 600 landowners in Shahbazpur mouza of Sonatala upazila in Bogura are facing serious difficulties as the Record of Rights (RS khatian) for the area is unavailable online. They are encountering various problems while searching for land records online. As a result, they are unable to complete essential land-related tasks, including paying land taxes and applying for mutation

Some landowners have even been unable to sell their land, according to complaints from those affected. They alleged that despite contacting the Pakulla Union Land Office, the Sonatala Upazila Land Office and the relevant sections of the Bogura Deputy Commissioner’s Office several times, they had received no effective solution. They were also informed that the necessary information on the RS records of Shahbazpur mouza was unavailable in the record rooms of government offices.

As a result, hundreds of landowners in the area have remained in uncertainty for a long time. Sonatala upazila has one municipality and seven unions, comprising a total of 94 mouzas. Shahbazpur mouza falls under Pakulla Union of the upazila. Landowners said RS records of other mouzas in Sonatala were available online, but Shahbazpur was an exception. They also said the authorities had not provided a clear explanation for why the records of this mouza were unavailable.

The absence of the records has become a major problem for local landowners despite the government’s initiative to digitise land records and provide services online. Unable to obtain the necessary documents easily, they have had to visit land offices repeatedly, increasing their expenses and uncertainty. The problem is particularly affecting important activities such as verifying land ownership, completing mutation and transferring property.

Arif Uddin Mondal, a resident of Huakua village in Sonatala upazila, said he owned 80 decimals of paddy land in Shahbazpur mouza. However, he has been unable to pay land taxes, complete mutation or carry out other necessary procedures because the RS records are unavailable online.

“I have visited various government land offices and informed them about the problem. But I have not received any solution so far. Although the RS records of other mouzas in Sonatala upazila are available online, the records of our Shahbazpur mouza are not,” he said.

He added that many landowners were suffering because they could not obtain the necessary land documents and records. Some were unable to complete the required procedures to sell their land, while prospective buyers were also facing uncertainty over record verification and other formalities. This has disrupted normal land transactions in the area.

The affected landowners have called for an urgent investigation into the whereabouts of Shahbazpur mouza’s RS records, why they are unavailable online and why the relevant information cannot be found in government record rooms. They said the authorities should search for old documents, verify the records and digitise the necessary information to resolve the problem permanently.

Sonatala Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Swikriti Pramanik said the matter fell under the jurisdiction of the upazila land office. She added that the land officer previously responsible for the upazila had recently been transferred elsewhere. “If the landowners explain why they are unable to find the RS records (volume) online, I will be able to assist them,” she said.