KATHMANDU: Guthi Sansthan founded to act as the patron, preserver and savior of the Guthis all over the country is said to be helpless in meeting its objectives.

Guthi Sansthan’s helplessness in the protection of the land under its ownership has resulted in the encroachment of such property.

With no substantive acts to materialize its objective, now in its 55 years of establishment, the Sansthan has been trying for it’s face-saving citing the lack of modern technology. The statistics show the Sansthan had 1.45 million ropanis of land under its ownership.

Sansthan’s Spokesperson Saroj Thapaliya cites its inability to adopt digital technology as the reason behind its failure to update the encroachment.

Guthi Sansthan has the ownership of many plots in 69 districts of the country.

“We strive hard for months to manage the record of the property and collect statistics for the same, in the meantime, the land gets encroached somewhere again,” said Thapaliya.

According to him, the Sansthan has decided to adopt computer technology to address this problem.

Speaking to Khabarhub, he said, “Finding the records in the register is not only tedious and time-consuming but also not much technology-friendly as by the time the statistics are collected the land impinges again.”

“As a prospective solution to it,” he says, “GuthiSansthan has decided to adhere to computer technology as that can help the authority get the details and update and share it with the Land Management Office”.

Government’s Policy and Program 2076/077 has endorsed the plan to open province-level offices of Guthi Sansthan in all provinces.

“First we will conduct a brief survey,” Thapaliya added: “However, for the detailed work, new laws have to be formulated as per the spirit of the new constitution. As the work division is planned, the offices should be established accordingly.”

He thinks adopting digital technology is wiser than establishing or expanding the offices of Guthi Sansthan.

What’s cooking in the Guthi Bill?

Minister for Land Management, Cooperative and Poverty Alleviation Padma Kumari Aryal informed that the government is all set to bring Guthi Bill to protect the land from impingement.

Guthi Sansthan’s inability to safeguard its own property has made the government more concerned.

“As we have got that the priest recruited by Sansthan itself is also involved in the abuses, the government is planning to bring forward the revised draft after a serious consultation,” she added.

What does the Ministry say?

Opining that the preservation attempts made at central level might not be much useful, Surya Prasad Gyawali, Secretary at the Land Management, Cooperative and Poverty Alleviation Ministry adds, “It is important to open new offices at province level as it can promote to decentralization attempts and also contributes in the preservation of Guthi’s property.”

He believes that establishing branches or provincial offices in all provinces can be effective as it makes easier to list and record each Guthi property in that province.

“Provided Guthi Sansthan brings the draft of it, the Ministry will surely cooperate in it,” says Gyawali.

Guthi Sansthan entwined in problems

With the objective of establishing an independent authority to manage and mobilize the fund collected through Guthi property, Guthi Sansthan was established in 2021 BS.

The encroachment of the land, letting it barren, tenant’s lack of cooperation in paying the due, the instability of the amount derived while converting Guthi’s property in person’s ownership, have made Guthi’s regular earning unpredictably.

As a result, the earning does not suffice to operate the feasts, Jatras, and other rituals. In many cases, the income is insufficient to pay for the priest and other dependents.

What is remarkable is that even the government itself has failed to cooperate with its liabilities regarding Guthi. More than 19 ropanis of land of Nandikeshwor Mahadev, Naxal, the government of Nepal has decided to purchase from Guthi Sansthan is still unpaid to Guthi Sansthan.

Likewise, the due amount the government owes to Guthi for the acquisition of land for Bishnumati Ringroad, construction of Kalopul, Kaligandaki Hydropower Project is still Guthi record.