The District Administration Office, Ramechhap has urged all local levels to protect and clear encroachments on government and public land within the district.

The district administration, based on a letter dated April 17 from the Ministry of Home Affairs, Internal Administration, Vehicle and Assembly and Ceremony Management Branch, wrote to all municipalities in the district on Monday, requesting them to identify the encroached land and take necessary steps.

According to Administrative Officer Chudamani Aryal, the local levels have been urged to identify the encroached government and public land within their areas, identify the actual squatters and prepare a plan for proper management.

Similarly, the local levels have also been asked to coordinate with the district administration if security arrangements are required during the protection of land and removal of encroachments. It has been urged to prioritize the protection of government and public property and implement it effectively.

After the letter from the District Administration Office, the issue of encroachment, protection and management of public land in Ramechhap has come into the spotlight again. While some local levels in the district, which has two municipalities and six rural municipalities, have started showing activity, most of the municipalities have not yet made their formal views public.
Gokulganga Rural Municipality has taken strict steps to control encroachment on public and government land. The rural municipality has issued an urgent notice and given an ultimatum to vacate the encroached land within 35 days.

According to Bhattarai, the Chief Administrative Officer of the rural municipality, the encroached government and public land within the rural municipality has been identified and the conservation process has been started based on the letter from the District Administration Office. Making the notice public on Wednesday, he said that the individuals and families who have been living encroached have been instructed to vacate the land within 35 days from the date of publication of the notice.

Families who do not have any land elsewhere in Nepal have been called upon to apply to the rural municipality or the concerned ward office within 15 days along with a copy of their citizenship. The rural municipality has committed to providing alternative management to the actual squatters and has made it clear that the protection of encroached public and government land will be strictly implemented. In addition, the rural municipality has also warned that if the encroachment is not removed within the stipulated time, the structure will be removed as per the prevailing law.

Similarly, Sunapati rural municipality has also given a 35-day ultimatum to vacate the encroached government and public land within the rural municipality area. The rural municipality has issued a notice on Thursday and urged the removal of encroachment. 

According to the Chief Administrative Officer of the rural municipality, Suresh Kumar Shrestha, the process has been taken forward to identify and protect the encroached government and public land within the rural municipality area as per the letter from the District Administration Office, Ramechhap. 

Individuals and organizations encroaching on government and public land will have to remove the encroachment within 35 days from the date of publication of the notice. In addition, the rural municipality has urged actual squatters who do not have any land in their name in Nepal to apply to the rural municipality or the concerned ward office within 15 days along with a copy of their citizenship. 

The old and famous markets in Ramechhap are located on public and open land, says Nawaraj Ghimire, former president of the Federation of Nepalese Journalists, Ramechhap.  According to him, Ratnajyoti located in Bamti of Umakunda Rural Municipality 2, Chandeshwari area of ​​Ward 4, Singati Danda Bazaar on the border of Gokulganga Rural Municipality and Umakunda Rural Municipality are on public and public land.

Galpa Bazaar on the border of Khandadevi and Sunapati Rural Municipality, Doramba Bazaar located in Doramba Shailung Rural Municipality 2, Kukhure Ahal Bazaar of Ward 1, Khola Kharka Bazaar are spread on public and public land. Pakhari Danda Bazaar of Manthali Municipality 14 is located in Gokulganga 1. He said that there are settlements and structures on public and public land in Kharanetar area of ​​Gokulganga 1, various places in Manthali Municipality 1, Madi Phat wall of Khandadevi Rural Municipality 4, Thedikhola area of ​​Manthali 7, Kukurkatai Bhanjyang area of ​​Ward 4 Salu. He says that the office building of Khandadevi Rural Municipality and the newly constructed Khandadevi Hospital building are also on public and undisclosed land.

The main market is in public: More than 3,000 families are living in unorganized settlements
The Ramechhap Disorganized Land Problem Resolution Commission District Committee, which was formed earlier with the aim of distributing land ownership certificates (Lalpurja) to landless Dalits, squatters and unorganized settlers, had collected data showing that more than 3,000 families were living in unorganized areas on public and undisclosed land in the district.

According to Milan Kumar Ghising, the then expert member of the Ramechhap Disorganized Land Problem Resolution Commission District Committee, most of the main market areas in the district are spread over public and undisclosed land.

According to the data collected by the commission in the fiscal year 2081/082, there is widespread unorganized settlement in the market areas of Galpa, Doramba, Kukhure Ahal, Fulasi Pokhari, Shivalaya, Chuchure, Garjang and others.

Similarly, settlement is taking place on informal and public land in Ratnajyoti Bazaar of Umakunda Rural Municipality and Hate Chaur area of ​​Manthali, he said. According to Ghising, 15 landless Dalit families, 98 landless squatters and thousands of families have been listed as unorganized settlers across the district.

Out of the 64 wards of the district, 17 wards have reported that there are no landless Dalits, squatters and unorganized settlers. He said, 'The main markets of Ramechhap are spread over informal and public land. The work of systematic settlement and distribution of land titles is still challenging.'

The municipal details are as follows
In Umakunda Rural Municipality, there are 4 landless Dalits, 38 landless squatters and 248 irregularly settled families. In some areas of Ratnajyoti Bazaar, Kubukasthali and Preeti of Ward 2, there is settlement on public and unclaimed land.

In Gokulganga Rural Municipality, there is 1 landless Dalit, 12 squatters and 741 irregularly settled families. The data mentions that public land has been encroached upon in Shivalaya, Chuchure, Those Bazaar, Garjang, Pharpu, Rasnalu and Kharanetar areas. In Likhutamakoshi Rural Municipality, there are 20 landless squatter families, while in various areas of Ward 1, Duragaun and Ward 3, 146 families are living in irregularly settled areas.