Landless Dalits, squatters, and unorganized settlers of Dadeldhura have complained that the Land Commission was working, but when the government suddenly abolished the commission, they were once again forced to live in an unorganized manner.
What you should know
Landless Dalits, squatters and unorganized settlers of Dadeldhura have become frustrated after the government abolished the Land Problem Resolution Commission on Asoj 23. They are frustrated that with the abolition of the commission, they have been deprived of the right to obtain ownership certificates for the land they have been enjoying for years.
The commission, which has been active in Dadeldhura for eight months, had collected about 14,000 applications from landless Dalits, landless squatters and unorganized settlers. Of these, 239 applications from landless Dalits, 189 from landless squatters, 8,437 from unorganized settlers and 289 incomplete applications were registered and reached the verification process. Some of the beneficiaries have also paid the revenue.
But after the commission was abolished, those who were preparing to pay the revenue and receive the land title deeds have also become disappointed. Tek Bahadur Oli of Alital Rural Municipality 4 said that he has not received the land title deeds yet. ‘This time, I was hoping to get the land title deeds, but now I have to live without ownership of the land I have been living on for years,’ he said. ‘The next government has to work for us too.’ Like Oli, other locals have been living in an unorganized manner for years. They were hoping that the commission would give them ownership, but after the commission itself was abolished, their expectations were again unfulfilled.
Om Khati of Parshuram Municipality-9 is also worried that the land he has been using for decades is not registered in his name. He was hoping that some positive changes would come with the work of the commission, but after the commission was abolished, he said that he had to return to the old situation. He said that the Land Commission was working, but when the government suddenly abolished the commission, they had to live in disarray again. He also complained that the land he had been using since 2037 BS was not in his name in paper form.
Kailash Kumar Pandey, the Dadeldhura chairman of the abolished Land Commission, says that the commission has done significant work in the district in a short period of time. According to him, during this eight-month period, land ownership certificates were distributed to 322 households in four local levels. Of these, 14 were in Ajayameru Rural Municipality, 96 in Ganyapadhura Rural Municipality, 137 in Alital Rural Municipality, and 75 in Parashuram Municipality. The commission had set a target of distributing certificates to an additional 2,000 people within the current fiscal year.
During this period, the survey and mapping of 267 plots in Parashuram Municipality, 618 in Ganyapadhura Rural Municipality, 372 in Alital Rural Municipality, 44 in Navadurga Rural Municipality, 200 in Ajayameru Rural Municipality, and 15 in Bhageshwor Rural Municipality were also completed. During its eight-month tenure, the commission had collected Rs. 1.167 million from beneficiaries through revenue collection. Along with the revenue collection, the commission had completed the preparation stages of survey and mapping, certification, and distribution of land certificates. But after the commission was dissolved, all those processes have now been stopped.
Meanwhile, according to Devdutt Pandey, the head of the Dadeldhura Survey Office, legal clarity is needed to move forward with the work after the commission was abolished. However, the commission has said that it will issue land titles to those who have already paid the revenue after the survey. He said that the survey office does not fall within the area for other work. He said that preparations are being made to issue land ownership certificates to 45 people in Ganyapadhura Rural Municipality of the district who have already received their land titles after the survey.
