BHADRAPUR: Minister for Land Management, Cooperatives, Federal Affairs and General Administration Pratibha Rawal has directed authorities to expedite the distribution of land ownership certificates to landless people, describing the delay in the process as unacceptable.
During an interaction with office-bearers of the District Land Problem Resolution Committee, chief administrative officers of all 15 local governments in Jhapa and employees of the Land Section at the District Administration Office, Minister Rawal expressed dissatisfaction with the progress made so far in distributing land titles to landless Dalits, landless squatters and unorganized settlers.
“The progress so far cannot be considered satisfactory. Thousands of land ownership certificates should have been distributed to landless people, but the expected results have not been achieved,” she said.
Stating that the government had already introduced policy reforms through an ordinance to address land-related problems, Rawal said the government was ready to facilitate any remaining legal or policy arrangements.
She stressed that the government was committed to resolving the issue and that administrative or procedural complications should not be used as an excuse for further delays.
“I do not think there are any administrative obstacles preventing the District Land Problem Resolution Committee from carrying out its work. The government is counting the days to resolve this problem. Therefore, accelerate the process and ensure visible results,” she said.
Rawal directed officials to address the problems of landless people and squatters in line with government priorities and make the distribution of land ownership certificates more effective.
Members of the House of Representatives Prakash Pathak, Shambhu Suskera Dhakal and Ramesh Prasai also called for expediting the process to permanently resolve the landlessness problem. They stressed that both political leaders and government officials must work responsibly to restore public trust.
Chief District Officer Shrawan Kumar Pokharel briefed the meeting on the progress made so far and the district’s upcoming action plan. He pledged to accelerate the distribution process, adding that additional personnel had been mobilized and tangible results would be visible in the coming days.
According to Shiva Prasad Lamsal, member-secretary of the District Land Problem Resolution Committee and chief of the District Survey Office, Jhapa, more than 60,200 people have applied for land ownership in the district.
He informed the meeting that 74 land ownership certificates had been distributed since the formation of the new committee.
Chief administrative officers of the local governments also presented updates on progress in addressing land-related problems in their respective municipalities, along with their plans for the coming days.
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