‘New land policy in the offing’

Bhairahawa, July 14

Minister for Agriculture, Land and Cooperatives Chakrapani Khanal today said the government was preparing to introduce new land policy to reverse the ban on plotting of arable land in the country. Minister Khanal held that the new land policy would lift the ban placed on land plotting.

Speaking at a programme organised by Survey Office Bhairahawa and Tilottama Municipality to distribute landownership certificates, Minister Khanal stated his ministry was working to introduce new land policy to solve the problem of land plotting. “Government employees are illegally plotting land. And ban has caused division among family members. So, we should find a solution to the problem soon,” Khanal added.

Khanal said ban on land plotting had reduced the government revenue and deprived the civilians of using their property smoothly. He argued that ban on land plotting had led to family division, dispute and other social problems.

Minister urged local levels to make land use policy and preserve arable land. Director General at the Department of Survey Ganesh Prasad Bhatta asked employees to deliver service to people. He issued diktat to employees to abstain from wrong practices. “It is very sad to hear about involvement of employees in illegal plotting land taking bribe,” Bhatta stated.

Tilottama Municipality Mayor Basudev Ghimire said his office would manage land scientifically and implement the land use policy.