Government to relocate Valley squatters to home districts

The Nepalese government has initiated the relocation of landless squatters from the Kathmandu Valley, moving them to their home districts because the capital lacks sufficient land for resettlement. This action is part of an ongoing effort to clear settlements along the Bagmati river.

Authorities are employing a rigorous verification process, cross-checking applicants against national digital land ownership records. The Department of Land Management and Archive uses the Land Records Information Management System (LRIMS) to confirm if individuals own land anywhere in Nepal. Those found to possess land elsewhere are disqualified from state resettlement programs.

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We search the land registry across all 77 districts to determine whether an applicant owns property. If someone is found to own land elsewhere, they no longer meet the legal definition of a landless squatter and are therefore ineligible for state land.

Balbhandra Banstola, chairperson of the National Land Commission, explained that official correspondence has been sent to local authorities to facilitate land allocation for 28 families. He stated that the land registry is searched across all 77 districts. "If someone is found to own land elsewhere, they no longer meet the legal definition of a landless squatter and are therefore ineligible for state land," Banstola said. So far, six families have been disqualified after their land ownership was discovered in other districts.

Banstola acknowledged the difficulty of providing land within Kathmandu, Lalitpur, and Bhaktapur, as local governments have no available land. "Given this constraint, we have proposed an integrated housing model as an alternative for landless families who cannot be accommodated within the Valley," he added. The commission published its first list of 14 verified beneficiaries on July 16, whose files are now with district authorities for land allocation.

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The metropolitan cities and municipalities of Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur have informed us that they do not have land available for distribution. Given this constraint, we have proposed an integrated housing model as an alternative for landless families who cannot be accommodated within the Valley.