KAPILVASTU, Feb 18: The land mafia have registered 4.5 bighas of government land in the name of an individual in Kapilvastu. Despite being fallow public land, the land mafia registered the land plot in question in the name of an individual in Banganga Municipality-8 of Kapilvastu.

In 2031 BS, Jholai Tharu, the then member of the village, registered the 4 bigha 7 kattha 3 dhur government land of Motipur-4, plot number 119, in his name, according to the Land Revenue Office.

The land mafia, in collusion with employees of the land revenue office, facilitated the registration of the land in the individual’s name. After receiving a complaint, the Land Reform and Management Office conducted an investigation and confirmed that the land registered in Tharu’s name was a piece of fallow public land. Devi Bahadur Bhandari, head of Land Reform and Management Office, informed Republica that the land registered in Tharu's name is government land.

“Even in the field book of 2028 BS, the land is clearly mentioned as fallow and public. A complaint was filed at the Land Revenue Office on December 14, stating that the government land had been distributed and embezzled by the involvement of land mafia and employees of the office,” said Bhandari, “Based on the same complaint, after looking at the land survey, survey map, field book, etc., it has been confirmed that the land is fallow and belongs to government.”

Despite clear records indicating the land plot in question to be fallow and public in the field book 2028 BS, the ownership of the land was fraudulently transferred to individuals using fake documents in 2031 BS.

He said that in 2031 BS and after that, the government land was registered in the name of individuals by creating fake documents in collusion with the employees and land mafia.

The land was subdivided and registered in the names of 146 individuals. Bhandari said that the investigations revealed that the land was mortgaged to banks and financial institutions, cooperatives and even used as collateral for loans.

Bhandari stated that he could not answer about the process of how the ownership of the land was transferred to individuals because he could not find the records of that time. According to the government land records of the land owner of the land of that plot and the detailed book of government public land prepared by the office in 2075 BS, the land of that plot is seen as government land.

Employees stated that according to the government assessment, the current value of the land is more than Rs 500 million. After the confirmation of the government land, the registration of the land in the names of the individuals has been canceled.

On January 24, the Land Reform and Management Office retrieved the land as government land. Chief Bhandari overturned the decision to register the land in the name of the individuals and decided to restore it as fallow and public land.

Chief District Officer Bishwa Prakash Aryal said that he has instructed the Land Reform and Management Office to conduct further studies on such lands.

 
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