KAPILVASTU: A total of 261 families in Krishnanagar Municipality of Kapilvastu district have received land ownership certificates (Lalpurja) for village block land after years of waiting.
The certificates were distributed to landowners from Wards 1, 7 and 9 at a programme jointly organised by Krishnanagar Municipality and the Survey Office, Taulihawa, at Ward No. 9 of the municipality.
According to the municipality, 73 residents of Ward No. 1, 49 of Ward No. 7 and 139 of Ward No. 9 received the certificates.
The recipients, many of whom have occupied and used the land for generations without legal ownership documents, expressed happiness at finally securing official recognition of their property rights.
Eighty-year-old Madhura Kurmini, one of the recipients, said she was delighted to receive legal proof of ownership in the later years of her life.
“Although I have lived on and used this land for many years, I never had a title deed in my name. I am very happy to finally receive the document, even at this age. Now I have legal proof that the land belongs to me,” she said.
Similarly, Chhedi Ahir, a resident of Ward No. 9, said his family had waited five generations to obtain ownership documents for land used by their ancestors.
“We have faced uncertainty and difficulties over land ownership because we did not have a title deed. After five generations, we have finally received the document in our family’s name,” he said.
Krishnanagar Municipality Mayor Rajat Pratap Shah said the municipality had prioritised issuing ownership certificates to residents occupying village block land.
He said the certificates would secure residents’ legal ownership rights and make it easier for them to engage in economic and social activities.
“We will continue this initiative until all eligible landowners in the municipality’s village blocks receive their certificates,” Mayor Shah said, adding that efforts would be made to expedite the registration of the remaining land in coordination with the concerned authorities.
He also said the municipality would initiate the distribution of ownership certificates for Bitauri land in Krishnanagar Bazaar, Bahadurganj Bazaar and Sirsihawa. According to him, an ordinance has already been issued in this regard, and the distribution process will move forward once the commission is formed.
Janak Bhandari, chief of the Survey Office in Taulihawa, said the certificates were distributed after completing the measurement and registration of the village block land.
He said the process had successfully covered land surveyed in 2070 BS and urged recipients to carefully verify the details on their certificates, including the landowner’s name, plot number and land area.
Bhandari added that any errors in the documents could be corrected by contacting the concerned office.
The programme was attended by Municipality Deputy Mayor Aarti Chaudhary, Chief Administrative Officer Prem Prasad Devkota, Ward No. 9 Chairperson Shatis Harijan, survey office staff, local representatives and landowners.
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