Jhapa and Bharatpur residents demand faster land ownership certificates for landless

Elected representatives have called for speeding up the slow distribution of land ownership certificates (lalpurja) to landless, squatter and unmanaged settlers in Jhapa.

At a discussion held at the District Administration Office, Jhapa, House of Representatives member from Jhapa constituency 4, Shambhu Suskera Dhakal, questioned why work was delayed even after the government had issued an ordinance. He said the cause of the delay should be identified and resolved, adding that citizens who have waited decades for certificates should receive them quickly.

According to constituency 3 lawmaker Prakash Pathak, 21 percent of certificates were supposed to be distributed within the set deadline, but progress so far has not even reached 1 percent. Pathak called the situation unfortunate.

Meanwhile in Chitwan, landless residents of Bharatpur Metropolitan City-14 have gone to the metropolitan office demanding land ownership certificates. They complain that having lived on the land for years without legal ownership has left them unable to feel secure about their housing and future. They have urged the metropolitan city to act in a way that produces visible results, not just assurances.