Land ownership certificates distributed to 59 individuals in Bakaiya

By Rammani Dahal,Makwanpur, Apr. 14: Distribution of land ownership certificates has begun in Makwanpur for citizens who have been residing in Bakaiya Rural Municipality and using the land for a long time but were yet to receive official documents. 

The land ownership certificates were distributed to landless Dalits and landless squatters. 

In total, 59 individuals-including 40 landless Dalits and squatters from Ward-4 and 7 of Bakaiya Rural Municipality and 19 temporary settlers, received their land ownership certificates. 

Minister for Land Management, Cooperatives and Poverty Alleviation, Balaram Adhikari said political parties and people’s representatives must be clear about solving land-related problems. 

He stressed the need for a coordinated and collective efforts to resolve land-related issues in Nepal and said that the current Land Issue Resolving Commission is working to become the final authority to resolve such issues. 

Minister Adhikari also said that although 1.1 million landless Dalits, squatters and unmanaged settlers are said to be awaiting land certificates, the actual number is higher. 

He informed that preparations are being made to publish a final notice allowing people who missed registration to submit applications. 

He added that local governments have the authority to measure land and must be cautious while classifying land. 

Minister Adhikari highlighted that agricultural land is sometimes misclassified as residential, and vice versa, which is inappropriate.

He further informed that the government is working to resolve long-term issues of land through timely legal reforms. 

Chief Whip of CPN-UML Mahesh Bartaula said that the ordinance on land was not brought to benefit land mafias and informed that a bill to address land issues in being prepared for registration in the upcoming session of the Parliament.

He said that the School Education Bill is also being amended and prepared for passage, which has caused some delays. 

Chairperson of the Land Issue resolving Commission, Hari Prasad Rijal, said that the process of distributing land certificates would only begin after an all-party consensus. 

He reiterated the Commissions’ commitment to resolving current land-related problems. 

Chairman of the Land Issue Resolving Commission, Makwanpur Balaram Bal and Chairman of Bakaiya Rural Municipality, Dharma Raj Lamichhane shared details about the preparations made to resolve land issues. 

Land ownership certificate issued after four decades 

Min Bahadur Sanjel, a local of Bakaiya Rural Municipality-7 received his land ownership certificate after four decades of residing on the land. 

Sanjel, who came from Saraswati area of former Dhiyal Village Development Committee-7 in 1984 and bought unregistered land, shared he is happy to finally receive the certificate. 

“My forefathers managed to buy land by saving a few hundred rupees, but we never received the ownership certificate,” he said, expressing relief that the uncertainty has finally ended. 

Similarly, Thuli Maya Tamang of the same ward expressed happiness upon receiving her land ownership certificate of the land she had been residing on and cultivating for years. 

“We had been using the land, but now we are the legal owners,” she added. 

Land ownership certificates were distributed for 340 square metres of residential land and 2,000 square metres of agricultural land. 

Kabin Sangami, a member of the Land Issue Resolving Commission, Makwanpur, informed that distribution of land ownership has been initiated from Bakaiya Rural Municipality, which has the highest number of land issues in the district.

He added that the Commission has facilitated interactions with elected representatives and officials in nine local units, except Bhimphedi Rural Municipality, to enable the distribution process.