Kathmandu, October 18

Lack of coordination among government line agencies could deprive a significant number of quake survivors in 11 affected districts outside Kathmandu Valley of government housing grant.

Around 13 per cent of 531,964 eligible households in the 11 worst-hit districts have not signed the grant agreement with local bodies under the supervision of National Reconstruction Authority to obtain the grant amount due to lack of land ownership certificate.

According to NRA Spokesperson Ram Prasad Thapaliya, many quake survivors have not been able to sign the grant agreement with VDCs and municipalities as they do not possess land ownership certificates.

Quake survivors without land ownership certificate have to register their land with the district survey office and land revenue office to receive the certificate.

In this regard, the NRA had directed the Ministry of Land Reform and Management to instruct its line agencies to expedite land registration for those lacking ownership certificates two months ago, said Thapaliya.

But quake survivors who reached the district survey and land revenue offices found themselves in a lurch as they were told the offices ‘had not received instructions from higher authority’.

Quake survivors whose homes were built on land owned by guthis are also facing similar problems.

Till date, the grant agreement has been signed by only 463,272 households and 420,882 have received the first tranche of the grant amount.

The NRA even issued the Guidelines for Land Registration, 2016, after holding consultations with the Ministry of Federal Affairs and Local Development, Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Land Reform and Management to resolve the issue.

The guideline has envisaged a five-member committee in the district level led by chief district officer to facilitate the land registration process. The committee comprises local development officer, district forest officer, chief of district survey office and chief of land revenue office as member secretary of the committee.

As per the provision of the guideline, if the issue of land registration is not settled at the district level, the concerned person can file a complaint at the head office of the NRA and the review committee of NRA will facilitate the registration process.

However, nobody has filed any complaint whatsoever regarding the same till date, according to the NRA.