Tribhuvan University has decided to take back hundreds of ropanis of its encroached land and initiate legal action against those involved in the encroachment, but it has not been implemented for a week. The report of the government-formed inquiry committee has pointed out that about 2,500 ropanis of the university's land has been embezzled and encroached. TU made the decision to take back the encroached land on Chaitra 23.

Vice-Chancellor Deepak Aryal said that the process of taking back the land has begun. 'We will also take action against those who misuse and embezzle land,' he said. 'The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority and the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of the police can also take action.' However, a university official said that professors and employees involved in the land encroachment have obstructed the implementation of the decision.

TU spokesperson Nabindra Bhandari said that the decision was sent to the General Administration Division on Chaitra 24 to implement it. 'The implementation of the report has begun, the university will take back the encroached land, and state bodies will take action against the encroachers,' he said. 

TU officials and employees are guilty of not protecting land: Investigation report

A meeting chaired by Vice Chancellor Aryal has decided to send a letter to the relevant government bodies to take back the university's land and take action. According to sources, employees and professors' associations have objected to it. TU Employees' Association, Professors' Association and Nepal Professors' Association have also been illegally renting out TU land and collecting money for 30 years.

TU has made an 8-point decision on taking back the encroached land. In the first decision, it was said that the Land and Immovable Property Investigation Committee Report-081 will be made public on the university's website for everyone's information. That decision has also not been implemented. 

The committee formed under the coordination of former Joint Secretary Mahendra Kumar Thapa submitted its report to the then Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli on 20 December 2008. The report, which the government had not made public, was made public by Education Minister Mahabir Pun of the Sushila Karki-led interim government on 26 October. 

Although the report pointed out that hundreds of ropanis had been embezzled, TU officials had not taken any initiative to return the land. After the formation of the government under the leadership of Balendra Shah, efforts were made to return the land.

In the second decision of TU, ​​it has been said that a 35-day notice will be issued and the land will be called back. The TU Executive Council has decided to call on individuals, companies, organizations or bodies that are illegally occupying, enjoying and controlling the land and immovable property in the name of the university to vacate the land and immovable property in the name of the university within 35 days through a public notice.

Similarly, in the decision of TU, ​​it has been said that if the land and immovable property in the name of the bodies, campuses and colleges under TU, mentioned or not mentioned in the report, is encroached upon, it will be issued a circular to the concerned body to return it. 'The land and property provided for conditional enjoyment for a specific purpose by TU in accordance with the rules will be returned if it is used for other purposes,' the fourth decision says.

If any land of TU and its subordinate bodies is to be given for occupation, it is mentioned in the fifth decision that it will be done only in accordance with the Public Procurement Act, Regulations, TU Act and the government's procedure for granting lease or occupation rights, with the approval of the Executive Council.

The Executive Council has decided to form a high-level task force to study and investigate the issue of unauthorized encroachment of TU land, causing damage and loss to the university, and submit recommendations for action against the officials or individuals involved in it. The investigation committee has also recommended that action be taken through the Authority and Police Administration against those who illegally occupy and occupy the land of educational institutions. 

The Executive Council's decision to form an implementation committee to implement the committee's report is mentioned in the decision of the Executive Council. 'It was decided to inform the relevant government bodies of all these decisions,' the Executive Council's decision said. Spokesperson Bhandari said that the decision will be sent to the Prime Minister's Office, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Home Affairs, Land Revenue, Survey, Authority, Vigilance Center, CIB and other concerned bodies.

The Authority had initiated an investigation into the encroachment and embezzlement of TU land. General Administration Division Chief Raj Bahadur Rai said that the CIAA has taken statements from former office bearers and employees involved and taken documents. Rai expressed ignorance about the decision of the Executive Council. "I have been on leave for a week, my friends will send the information and correspondence about the return of the land," he said. 

Vice Chancellor Aryal said that the General Administration Division has been asked to start the process of returning the land. The investigation committee has also recommended that the land encroachers be further investigated by the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority, the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of the Police and the Police Administration and brought to justice. 

Report on land encroachment of TU hidden by the Oli government to be made public

The investigation committee has pointed out that the operators of the Lab School tried to seize 108 ropanis of the university's land by creating forged documents. TU officials have been saying that they cannot return the encroached land without the help of the government. The professors and employees' association is ready to return the land, but the executive council members say that they will not take action on the issue of unauthorized use after the return.

Tribhuvan University Employees' Association President Chhatra Karki said that they have been using the land given to them by the executive council and are ready to demand its return. 'The professors and employees' association has used the money received by paying land rent in the interests of the institution in accordance with the law, and if found guilty by the investigation, we are ready to face action,' he said.

The report of the investigation committee states that out of the 5,218 ropanis of land acquired by the government in 2013 and 2030 for the establishment and operation of Tribhuvan University, about 2,539 ropanis of land have been encroached. According to the report, about 1,843 ropanis of land in the Kirtipur premises have been encroached and embezzled. Similarly, 696 ropanis of land outside Kirtipur have also been encroached.

The committee stated that about 843 ropanis of land in the central office, Kirtipur, has been encroached and used by 21 organizations and groups. The report also mentions that 148 ropanis and 15 aanas of land has been embezzled from the affiliated (government) campuses in the Kathmandu Valley under Tribhuvan University. 

Tribhuvan University Land Search Report [Full Text]

A site visit was conducted to search for land in 18 out of 22 campuses in Kathmandu. In which, it was found that about 150 ropanis of land has been encroached on from seven campuses. The committee has stated that there are 1,253 ropanis of land in the affiliated campuses in Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur.

According to the land search committee, Laboratory School in Kirtipur, Radhaswami Satsang Vyas Nepal, Nepal Professors' Association, Tribhuvan University Professors' Association, Employees' Association, BP Koirala Memorial Planetarium, Ayurveda Research and Training Center, Nepal Netra Jyoti Sangh have been using Tribhuvan University land.