KATHMANDU: Prime Minister Balendra Shah has pledged to permanently resolve the long-standing problem of landless squatters and unorganised settlers within the next 1,000 days.
Shah said the Rastriya Swatantra Party-led government has made resolving the issue one of its key performance indicators (KPIs) and is working to address it on a priority basis.
In a Facebook post, Shah recalled that political parties had been promising to distribute land to landless farmers since the first parliamentary election in 1959, but the problem remained unresolved despite changes in governments and political systems.
He said commissions and committees formed by previous governments had spent more than Rs 2 billion since 2020, largely driven by political considerations, without producing the expected results. The government has therefore adopted a new approach, he said.
Instead of political allocation and adding unnecessary layers, the government has opted for an outcome-oriented approach based on expertise, transparent procedures and coordination with local governments.
According to Shah, more than 1.311 million applications have been entered into an integrated system through the Land Problems Resolution Commission and are currently undergoing verification.
So far, land ownership certificates have been distributed to 5,737 families across the country, including indigenous settlers, landless Dalits, squatters and unorganised settlers. The process will now be accelerated, he said.
The government plans to relocate squatters living on public or high-risk land to safer locations. Landless people displaced from Kathmandu Valley will be managed in their permanent home districts, according to Shah.
He also said legal action has begun against people who falsely claimed to be squatters after their records were cross-checked.
The government aims to gradually declare districts free of the squatter problem by removing legal and structural obstacles related to land and forest laws, Shah said.
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