KATHMANDU: Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Urban Development Prakash Man Singh held discussions with Minister for Land Management, Cooperatives and Poverty Alleviation Balram Adhikari on the draft of the new Urban Development Bill.
According to Urban Development Ministry spokesperson Narayan Mainali, the two ministers focused on refining the proposed bill to clearly define the interrelated areas between urban development and land management.
The goal, he said, is to enhance clarity and cooperation between the two ministries.
Since assuming office as Deputy Prime Minister and Urban Development Minister, Singh has overseen the endorsement of the National Urban Policy.
The ministry is now expediting the preparation of the Urban Development Bill, aiming to provide a comprehensive legislative framework in line with the federal structure.
The meeting also addressed complications arising from guthi (trust) land falling within designated land consolidation project areas overseen by the Urban Development Ministry. Discussions were held on how to handle such cases legally and effectively.
The issue of encroached public land in the Kathmandu Valley also featured in the talks. The ministers agreed on the need for enhanced inter-ministerial coordination to resolve ongoing land disputes and reclaim public land.
The Kathmandu Valley Development Authority (KVDA), operating under the Urban Development Ministry, is currently working to recover encroached public land across the capital region.
Previously, urban development was governed by the Town Development Act, which has become outdated under Nepal’s federal system. The new Urban Development Bill aims to replace it with a law that provides a unified framework to guide urban planning across all three levels of government — federal, provincial, and local.
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