Kathmandu, July 21: The government has initiated a process to relocate landless squatters displaced from the riverbanks of the Kathmandu Valley to the districts where they hold permanent residency. The move has been taken based on directives issued by the Ministry of Land Management, Cooperatives and Poverty Alleviation and the Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration, as well as digital records compiled by the High-Powered Bagmati Civilization Integrated Development Committee.
In accordance with prevailing laws governing the management of landless Dalits, landless squatters, and unmanaged settlers, the Department of Land Management and Archives conducted a nationwide verification to determine whether the concerned families owned any land elsewhere in the country. Through the Land Revenue Information System (LRIS) operated by land revenue offices, individuals found to have no land registered anywhere in Nepal have now been certified as landless and the process of relocating them to their home districts has begun.
Chairman of the Land Problem Resolution Commission, Balbhadra Bastola, said that as of Monday, letters had been issued for 28 households requesting the allocation of land in the districts where they hold permanent addresses. He added that those found to own land in other districts through the LRIS verification system would not be eligible for land allocation.
“We first verify through the LRIS whether they own land elsewhere in the country. If land is found in another district, they cannot be considered landless, so they are not entitled to receive land. We are making decisions accordingly. As of the latest records, land has been found in the names of six families in other locations,” Bastola said.
Asked when the entire process would be completed and what would happen to those wishing to remain in Kathmandu, Bastola said the exercise was still in its initial phase.
“We have not completed the verification yet. Those who do not own land anywhere will be processed for relocation. Once all records are finalized, those whose citizenship certificates were issued either in Kathmandu or other districts will be sent to their respective home districts. We expect to complete the entire process within this month,” he said.
Regarding those wishing to continue living in Kathmandu and its surrounding areas, Bastola said providing land would be difficult.
“The metropolitan cities and municipalities of Kathmandu, Lalitpur, and Bhaktapur have clearly informed us that they do not have land available for allocation. Since the local governments in the Valley are unable to provide land, we have recommended an integrated housing model as an alternative for landless families,” he said.
People’s News Monitoring Service.
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