KATHMANDU: The government has decided to implement the long-delayed 2052 BS report of the High-Level Commission on Investigation and Protection of Government and Public Land, commonly known as the Rawal Commission report, more than three decades after its recommendations were submitted.
A Cabinet meeting on Friday resolved to implement the report in line with a directive order issued by the Supreme Court and to maintain a systematic national record of government and public land to strengthen its protection.
The Cabinet has instructed the Ministry of Land Management, Cooperatives and Poverty Alleviation and the Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration to carry out the decision and coordinate the implementation process.
According to the government, the move clears the way for action against encroachments identified by the commission within the then 35 wards of Kathmandu Metropolitan City. The report had documented the encroachment of 1,859 ropani, 14 aana, 3 paisa and 3 daam of public and government land based on cadastral records from 2021 BS.
The decision also opens the door for legal action against individuals found to have illegally occupied public land, in accordance with existing laws.
Prime Minister’s Press and Research Adviser Deepa Dahal said the report should have been implemented when it was originally submitted but remained dormant due to political and administrative inaction.
“The Cabinet’s decision has finally opened the way for implementation of the Rawal Commission report,” Dahal said, adding that the responsible ministries would complete the required legal procedures in coordination with relevant agencies.
According to figures cited by the government, Kathmandu Metropolitan City had more than 18,941 ropani of public and government land at the time of the commission’s study. Of that total, more than 1,859 ropani—nearly 10 percent—had already been encroached upon.
The commission found that 1,187 encroachers had occupied 308 land parcels of government and public land for private use, while another 6,906 individuals had incorporated 1,762 public land parcels into their own properties. In total, 8,093 encroachers were found to have occupied 2,070 government and public land parcels.
The commission was formed in2050 BS under the leadership of former government secretary Ram Bahadur Rawal to investigate widespread encroachment and illegal registration of public land. It submitted its report in 2052 BS, but successive governments failed to act on its recommendations.
In 2060 BS, advocate Prakash Mani Sharma and others filed a writ petition at the Supreme Court seeking implementation of the report. Following years of legal proceedings, the court issued a directive order in 2067 BS, instructing the government to give high priority to implementing the report and to investigate encroachments on government land across the country.
Despite the court’s order and repeated public calls for action, the report remained unimplemented for years.
The government said renewed efforts began after Prime Minister Balendra Shah assumed office in March. The Prime Minister’s Office, supported by policy research and legal reviews, revisited the report and the Supreme Court’s directives before placing the matter before the Cabinet.
Officials say the decision represents a significant step toward protecting public assets, strengthening good governance and reinforcing the rule of law through the recovery and preservation of government and public land.
Comment