KATHMANDU: Minister for Land Management, Cooperatives and Poverty Alleviation, Balram Adhikari, has urged all local levels to complete the land classification process by the end of the current fiscal year.
Responding to lawmakers’ queries during a discussion on the proposal to consider the Bill to Amend Some Nepal Acts Related to Land, 2025, Minister Adhikari emphasized the potential challenges that could arise if land classification is not finalized on time.
He said the proposed bill aims to address issues related to landless people, squatters, and unorganized settlements, while also facilitating real estate transactions and resolving administrative complications in land management.
Dismissing criticism that the bill favors land mafias and middlemen, Minister Adhikari clarified, “It has been claimed that those who purchased land in the past without obtaining necessary government permission will now be regularized. There are over 100 such applications pending since 2074 BS. We are regulating them in line with past procedures.”
Earlier in the session, lawmakers discussed the bill’s provisions and shared their concerns. While ruling party members said the legislation makes timely legal arrangements to resolve long-standing land issues, opposition lawmakers warned that it could encourage unnecessary plotting and sale of fertile land.
Lawmakers Sushila Shirpali Thakuri, Ranendra Baraili, Metmani Chaudhary, Damodar Paudel Bairagi, Lal Prasad Sanwa Limbu, Saharaj Ahmad, Saraswati Subba, Amaresh Kumar Singh, Manish Jha, Rajendra Prasad Pandey, Sumana Shrestha, Hitraj Pandey, and Mahesh Kumar Bartaula were among those who participated in the discussion.
Other members who shared their views on the bill’s principles included Surya Prasad Dhakal, Bijula Rayamajhi, Ranju Kumari Jha, Narayani Sharma, Chhiring Damdul Lama Bhote, Ammar Bahadur Thapa, Achyut Prasad Mainali, Shiva Nepali, Durga Rai, Prem Suwal, Mina Tamang, Prem Bahadur Maharjan, Ganesh Parajuli, Rekha Yadav, Ammar Bahadur Rayamajhi, Aman Lal Modi, Gyanu Basnet Subedi, Dr. Chanda Karki, Deepa Sharma, Chhiring Lhamu Lama Tamang, and Lekhnath Dahal.
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