Fiscal Nepal
First Business News Portal in English from Nepal
Land ownership local level
KATHMANDU: The government has decided to implement the long-pending Rawal Commission Report, 2052, paving the way for the recovery of nearly 2,000 ropanis of government and public land encroached upon across all 35 wards of the then Kathmandu Metropolitan area.
A Cabinet meeting held on Friday resolved to enforce the recommendations of the High-Level Commission on Investigation and Protection of Government and Public Land, chaired by former secretary Ram Bahadur Rawal, in line with a directive order issued by the Supreme Court of Nepal.
The Cabinet also decided to establish a systematic nationwide record of government and public land and strengthen measures to protect such properties. The Ministry of Land Management, Cooperatives and Poverty Alleviation and the Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration have been instructed to coordinate implementation.
According to the Rawal Commission report, a total of 1,859 ropanis, 14 annas, 3 paisa and 3 daam of public and government land had been encroached upon in Kathmandu based on the 2021 BS cadastral survey. The latest Cabinet decision opens the door for reclaiming those lands and initiating legal action against encroachers under prevailing laws.
Prime Minister’s Press and Research Adviser Deepa Dahal said the report should have been implemented decades ago, but political and administrative inaction delayed the process. She stated that the concerned ministries would now proceed with the necessary legal and administrative measures in coordination with relevant agencies.
The commission had found that more than 8,000 individuals had encroached upon government and public land through direct occupation or by incorporating public land into private holdings. The encroachment involved over 2,070 land parcels and affected hundreds of hectares of public property.
The Rawal Commission was formed in 2050 BS to investigate widespread illegal registration, misuse, and encroachment of public land. Although it submitted its findings in 2052 BS, successive governments failed to act on its recommendations.
Following a public interest litigation filed in 2060 BS, the Supreme Court issued a final directive in 2067 BS ordering the government to implement the commission’s recommendations and investigate encroachment of public land across the country.
Despite the court order, implementation remained stalled for nearly three decades. The latest Cabinet decision is being viewed as one of the most significant steps toward recovering public assets and strengthening land governance in Nepal.
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