Locals happy to receive land certificates after five decades

By Our Correspondent,Butwal, Jan. 2: Sabita Neupane, 75, of Ward No. 10 of Sainamaina Municipality in Rupandehi district, was almost sure that she would not get the land ownership certificate of the land where her house has been standing for years. 

According to Neupane, her family had constructed the house in the land almost 55 years ago. 

In 1970, the land was surveyed under her family’s name, but the process to distribute the land ownership certificate was halted ever since the survey was over.

“As many years had elapsed, I had lost the hope of getting the land ownership certificate while I was alive. However, now I am happy to get it after waiting  for 52 years,” said Sabitra. Similarly, Shiva Narayan Chaudhary, a resident of Ward No. 8 of Sainamaina, was also sure that he wouldn’t receive the certificate during his life time. Chaudhary’s family had constructed a house in the Bhadchha area in Ward No. 8 and have been living in there for 50 years.  After receiving the certificate, Chaudhary could not stop expressing his happiness.

“We received the certificate and we are very happy. However, my in-laws waited for the certificate until they were alive. They would have been happier had the certificate been provided some years ago,” said Sita Thapa, a resident of Ward No. 11.

Likewise, Ram Prasad Neupane, a resident of Ward No. 2 of Kanchan Rural Municipality, had also lost his hope to get the ownership certificate for the land his family had been living for several decades.

Now, after five decades, 625 families in Dudarakshya and Gajedi areas of Rupandehi districts have received the land ownership certificates.

The houses were surveyed in 1970, but were not included in the process to distribute the land ownership certificates then. The lands were then included as village blocks to complete the process of providing the certificates.

Rupandehi’s Survey Office had started distributing the certificates in Sainamaina and Kanchan three years ago.

“I couldn’t utilise the land my family had been using for decades because we didn’t have the land ownership certificate. Now, we can use the land lawfully for different purposes,” said Ek Narayan Chaudhary, a local of Gajedi.

Local representatives argued that the distribution of land ownership certificates have fulfilled the hopes and dreams of many. 

Earlier, around 800 families of Sainamaina received their land ownership certificates three years ago. However, more than 600 families were still waiting for their certificates, and finally they have them. 

“We have been able to solve a major local issue by distributing the land ownership certificates,” said Phanendra Prasad Sharma, Mayor of Sainamaina.