Minister Rawal directs faster distribution of land certificates to landless and squatters

Minister for Land Management, Cooperatives, Federal Affairs and General Administration Pratibha Rawal has directed that the distribution of land ownership certificates to landless Dalits, landless squatters and unmanaged settlers be sped up.

Speaking at an interaction with officials of the District Land Problem Resolution Committee, chief administrative officers of all 15 local levels in the district, and land branch staff at the District Administration Office in Bhadrapur, Jhapa, she said progress so far has not been satisfactory.

She said thousands of landless people should already have received certificates, but the expected achievement has not been seen.

Minister Rawal said that since the government has already made policy reforms through an ordinance, there should be no further delay on the pretext of process, and that any legal difficulties that arise would be eased.

On Monday, meeting squatters and unmanaged settlers at Surunga in Kankai Municipality, she said the government would give them actual land certificates, not just assurances.

In the presence of Chief District Officer Shrawan Kumar Pokhrel and Mayor Rajendra Pokhrel, she assured residents of the Kankai area that they would receive land certificates within some time.

Minister Rawal said the government has begun work in a manner that prevents the squatter and land-certificate issue from becoming an election agenda.

She said that although the Prime Minister has set a 1,000-day deadline to resolve the land-certificate problem, preparations are under way to complete the work even before that.

She added that the government is also ready to amend the law again if necessary.