Kathmandu, March 28
The Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration has urged the local levels to assess the present condition of government and public land in their respective areas.
Issuing an 18-point directive to the local units yesterday, the MoFAGA told them to ensure whether the government and public lands have fulfilled all the procedures and criteria of the prevailing law and decide on them accordingly.
As per the MoFAGA, the local levels should also maintain accurate records of government and public land within their respective areas.
The local levels have also been urged to publish the records of the lands along with their plot number, area and present condition. For this, the local levels coordinate and collaborate with the respective district administration offices, survey offices and land revenue offices.
Earlier, the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority had written to the MoFAGA stating that it was receiving complaints about the growing trend of plotting in government and public lands without permission, merging such lands with new maps of private land, overlapping in newly registered maps, unauthorised land capture and encroachment, and sale or purchase of lands belonging to the government.
As per the anti-graft body, the lands mainly situated in cities and registered in the name of government offices, departments, ministries, public corporations, companies, academies, universities and schools are being targeted by racketeers amid growing urbanisation and their soaring value.
The CIAA has been investigating many cases of land grab and encroachment.
The existing laws empower the district administration offices and local levels to protect government, public and community lands, while maintaining their records in an orderly manner to ensure that they are not misused.
Cases of land grab are on the rise in urban centres including Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur.
A version of this article appears in the print on March 29, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.
