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Kathmandu Sunday June 03, 2001 Jestha 21, 2058.
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Squatters
receive land in Dhankuta
Post Report
DHANKUTA, June 2 - Barma Lal Rai of Mahabharat VDC, 60, in
this district said he was never so happy in his life as he is now after receiving land
ownership certificate.
The rest of the 78 landless people who also received plots
of land to construct their houses on Thursday are also equally happy.
"It seems as if we have got something in our life only
today," Kamaleswori Rai said showing her land ownership certificate.
Central member of the commission, Trilochan Poudel,
distributed land ownership certificates to 78 people of Constituency No. 1 except people
from Dhankuta municipality and Chhintang, Ankhisalla and Belhara VDCs that fall in the
constituency.
Four commissions have already been constituted in this
district over the last seven years to provide land to the landless and systematically
resettle the people living unsystematically.
The first commission was formed under the chairmanship of
Gopal Guragain in 2051 BS. A total of 1,200 applications were received and 624 of them
were identified as the genuine landless. Out of them, land ownership certificates were
given to 187 people. However, in reality, they have neither received the land nor is there
any record of the same in the Land Revenue Office.
The second commission constituted under Gopal Bahadur Thapa
had no achievement. The third commission was constituted under the chairmanship of Dagal
Singh Limbu. More than 600 landless people had applied for land but nobody received land
ownership certificate during the commission’s tenure. The commission had not
completed its work but in the meantime it was dissolved.
The fourth and the current commission did not recognize the
applications finalized by the third commission. The new commission invited fresh
applications charging the previous commission of being involved in corruption.
The people who received land ownership certificates on
Thursday are also apprehensive. They enquire whether they will also receive the real land
or whether they have received only certificates as in the case of certificates distributed
by the previous commissions. However, the commission claims that they are the genuine
landless people and the certificates of landownership have been given to them after
completing all necessary formalities.
At the ceremony organised to distribute land ownership
certificates, Poudel, central member of the commission, said the tenure of the current
commission would expire by mid-July. In districts where the works remain to be completed,
there is a legal provision to constitute the commission under the chairmanship of the
Chief District Officer and complete the works in six months.
He added that the commission had requested the government
to extend the tenure of the existing commissions in the Terai district.
Chairman of the commission Manohar Narayan Shrestha urged
the government to extend its term of office to enable it to complete its remaining works
and expressed its commitment that it would provide land to all the landless people before
mid-July.
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