KATHMANDU, Jan 3: The Ministry of Land Management, Cooperative and Poverty Alleviation has initiated the necessary process to nationalize 164 ropanis and 13 annas of land in the Shera Durbar area in Nuwakot.
The ministry has initiated the process to nationalize the Shera Durbar due to its archaeological and historical significance. On Thursday, Minister for Land Management, Cooperative and Poverty Alleviation, Balram Adhikari, along with Secretary Arjun Pokhrel and other officials, discussed and instructed officials to proceed with the nationalization of the land. Minister Adhikari said, "As it holds archaeological importance and is an ancient palace, the government must nationalize and preserve it," according to a ministry source.
According to the source, the ministry has already initiated the process. Secretary Pokhrel of the ministry stated that the file regarding this matter has not yet reached him. "The file for Shera Durbar has not arrived," he said.
On Thursday, Minister Adhikari, Secretary Pokhrel, Chief of the Administration Branch Madan Koirala, and Chief of the Land Administration Branch Shravan Pokhrel held a discussion at the ministry. They presented legal processes and grounds for bringing the Shera Darbar and the land it occupies under the name of the Government of Nepal. Ganesh Bhatta, the spokesperson for the ministry, stated that he was not aware of this matter.
He said, "The ministry is holding discussions not only about the Shera Durbar but also about bringing other public lands under the government's name. I am not aware of any discussions specifically regarding the Shera Durbar land." He added that various bodies are currently discussing bringing the land occupied by Shera Darbar under the government's name.
On February 24, 1979, the Survey Office in Nuwakot surveyed the land measuring 164-13-02-01 ropanis, including plots 82, 83, 84, 87, 88, 89, 90, 92, 93, 94, 95, 97, and 98, under the name of Gaurishankar Farming. Shera Durbar and the land it occupies belonged to Helen Shah, the wife of Basundhara, the brother of King Mahendra, and to Bijay Rajya Laxmi Shah's share.
After the enactment of the Land Reform Act, boundary issues prevented the land from being surveyed under individual names, so authorities surveyed it under the name of Gaurishankar Farming. The Ministry of Land Management and the Central Investigation Department of Nepal Police initially investigated why the land, originally under the government's name, ended up under the names of Gaurishankar or Annapurna Farming.
Dahal attends State Affairs meeting; Shera Durbar land issue ra...
Helen Shah and Bijaya Rajya Laxmi Shah were the operators and shareholders of the land of Shera Durbar, which was surveyed under the name of Gaurishankar Farming. The institution, Gaurishankar Farming, was established on March 12, 1971 and seems to have transformed into Annapurna Farming after a decision on June 15, 1979. On June 25, 1987, the Land Revenue Office issued an order replacing Gaurishankar with Annapurna Farming. By 1995, the shares of the company, originally held by Bijaya Rajya Laxmi Shah, had been transferred to Jayanti Shah. "This is where the weakness was observed," the source said.
In 1995, four individuals-Narendra Lal Pradhan, Kedar Nath Shrestha, Sajani Shrestha, and Sohini Shrestha-received all the shares of the company, which were previously held by Helen Shah and Jayanti Shah. Later, on June 17, 2016, a decision to cancel the share registration resulted in the purchase and sale of 567,500 shares, valued at Rs 56.75 million, in the name of Bikesh Shrestha.
Similarly, Ajay Kumar Suryabanshi holds shares as well. He bought and sold 460,410 shares, valued at Rs 46.041 million. Likewise, Dhrubalal Shrestha, residing in Ward 4 of Bidur Municipality, Nuwakot, bought and sold 45,000 shares for Rs 4.5 million.
Similarly, shares in the name of Suman Parik, residing in Ward 7 of Nagarjun Municipality, Kathmandu, totaling 45,000 shares, were bought and sold for Rs 4.5 million. Shares worth 111.79 million were bought and sold by these four individuals, transferring the ownership of the land to the name of the company. As of November 26, 2023, Bikesh and Ajay remained as shareholders, and the company added a new shareholder, Manobal Shrestha, the son of Bikesh, by issuing 9 million shares valued at Rs 9 million. Currently, only three individuals remain as shareholders.
The government initiated an investigation after discovering that the land of Shera Durbar had been transferred to the names of a company and individuals. The Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of Nepal Police has also reached out to the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority for further investigative procedures.
CIB Chief AIG Deepak Thapa stated that the Central Investigation Bureau had corresponded with the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority to conduct further investigations into the involvement of the Department of Land Management and Archive, and the employees who were working in the ministry at the time.
Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak directed the police to complete the investigation into the land belonging to the Shera Durbar soon. Minister for Land Management and Cooperative, Balram Adhikari, stated that he had initiated the process of reclaiming the land, and directed the Department of Land Management and Archive and the Department of Land Reform and Management to take action.
The Ministry has stated that it is nationalizing Shera Durbar to restore it to its original state because King Prithvi Narayan Shah, the unifier of Nepal, gave divine teachings at the Durbar in January 1775, with his two brothers and courtiers present. Various historical records suggest it is unclear whether King Prithvi Narayan Shah was kept at this Durbar or at the seven-story palace in Nuwakot on 3rd January 1775 before his death.
Government and Dahal ready to receive and give thanks
The government has announced that it is preparing to return the 164 ropanis of land belonging to Shera Durbar in Nuwakot to the government’s name, in accordance with the law. Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak, representing the government at the meeting of the parliamentary State Affairs and Good Governance Committee, stated that if the land of Shera Durbar and the land belonging to it had been transferred to the names of individuals or companies, the government would bring it back under its name.
Former prime minister and chairman of the CPN (Maoist Center), Pushpa Kamal Dahal, stated that he would be ready to thank the government if it brought the land of Shera Durbar under its control due to illegal use. In response, Home Minister Lekhak made the statement.
Dahal stated that he would thank the government if it found that the Durbar and land, in the name of Bikesh Shrestha, a former member of his personal staff and a former central member of the Maoist party, and in the name of Annapurna Farming, to be illegal and brought them under its control. He also mentioned that he would cooperate with the government in this matter.
In Thursday's meeting of the State Affairs and Good Governance Committee, Dahal stated that there was no need to involve him in the land controversy. "If anyone is guilty regarding the land of Shera Durbar, they should face punishment. I am ready to cooperate with the government," he said. "If something illegal has occurred, just as many ropanis of land in Lalita Niwas were brought under the government's control, this should also be done. I will not only cooperate with the government but also thank them."
After that, Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak stated that the government would not spare anyone involved in illegal activities. However, by the time the Home Minister responded, Dahal had already left the meeting room. Minister Lekhak addressed questions raised in the committee meeting regarding the land of Shera Durbar. When UML lawmaker Basudev Ghimire inquired about the land, former Prime Minister Dahal expressed his willingness to cooperate in the investigation.
Home Minister Lekhak informed Republica that authorities are currently investigating the land of Shera Durbar. "The investigation is underway, and we will take action according to the law. If the land has been transferred to the names of any individual or company, we will retrieve it," he said. "I would also like to thank committee member and respected leader Pushpa Kamal Dahal. He is ready to thank the government. The government will carry out its responsibilities, and he can thank us once it is done."
