JHAPA: Chhatra Giri, director of Giribandhu Tea Estate Pvt. Ltd, Birtamod, has asserted that the estate is not state property.

During a press conference on Wednesday, Giri stated that Giribandhu Tea Estate is owned by him and his family and accused others of raising unnecessary disputes.

He claimed that the estate is ancestral property earned by his forefathers, and therefore, it cannot be considered state property.

Giri explained that the tea estate was developed by his forefathers before the implementation of the Land Act in 1964.

He also mentioned that they were permitted to retain 500 bighas of land under the land ceiling exemptions and currently own 390 bighas.

Giri acknowledged that they are seeking solutions in compliance with a Supreme Court ruling regarding the estate.

He admitted to engaging in land transactions in partnership with various individuals and businesses due to difficulties in acquiring large tracts of land at once.

During the press conference, Giri revealed that he has been involved in land dealings with businessmen like Deepak Malhotra and Bishnu
Bahadur Rai.

He also mentioned that during KP Oli’s tenure as Prime Minister, the land swap file was presented to the Cabinet, which made a decision regarding the land exchange.

He dismissed accusations from non-UML parties claiming that the land transaction irregularities were part of Oli’s plan, stating, “The decision would have been made regardless of who was Prime Minister. It just happened to be KP Oli.”

Giri noted that the tea estate has been incurring annual losses amounting to millions of rupees.

He challenged the government to either facilitate a resolution or compensate them and take over the land.

However, Giri remained silent about the billions of rupees reportedly raised in the name of selling the estate’s land when the government requested details of land swap process.