KATHMANDU, Dec 27: It has been revealed that 184 ropanis of land belonging to Shera Durbar in Bidur, Nuwakot, was transferred to Bikesh Shrestha, who worked in the personal secretariat of the then prime minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, the chairman of the CPN (Maoist Center). The transfer of shares to Annapurna Farming in Shrestha's name occurred under the order of the then land reform secretary Mohan Krishna Sapkota, who approved the share transfer deal.
On July 24, 2016, Maoist Chairman Dahal assumed the position of Prime Minister for a second time. During his tenure, Mohan Krishna Sapkota served as the Secretary of the Ministry of Land Reform. Secretary Sapkota had affiliations with the Maoists.
Sapkota assumed the position of Secretary of the Ministry of Land Reform on December 7, 2015. After Dahal became the Prime Minister, Bikesh Shrestha joined Annapurna Farming. The Company Registrar's Office documents reveal that he invested Rs 56.75 million at that time. "Then Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal directed Land Reform Secretary Mohan Krishna Sapkota to allocate land in the name of Bikesh Shrestha," said an official from the Ministry of Land Reform.
After Republica covered the matter, former PM Dahal's Personal Secretary Ramesh Malla clarified that the individuals mentioned in the news are no longer involved in any party responsibilities or contacts. "We want to clarify that the person mentioned in the news has not held any role in our party for a long time," said Malla, Dahal's personal secretary. "We have taken serious note of the news titled Maoists behind the encroachment of Shera Durbar in Nuwakot, which links the leadership of our party, known for upholding good governance. Such propaganda, made without factual investigation, not only questions the credibility of the news but also exposes its malicious intent."
Malla has urged the concerned authorities to investigate the matter related to the palace and bring any involved individuals under the scope of punishment. However, when the Maoist Chairman became Prime Minister for the third time, the authorities halted the investigation into a complaint filed with the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of Nepal Police. At that time, Kiran Bajracharya headed the CIB, and Narayan Kaji Shrestha served as the home minister. "Although the home minister tried to advance the investigation, the prime minister stopped it," said a source.
The source links the Dahal family directly to the land in question. It claims that their relatives have also invested in the land. Maoist leaders and activists from Nuwakot state that the late Sita Dahal, Dahal's wife, used to occasionally visit the area and showed interest in the land there.
Dahal’s Secretariat denies Maoist involvement in Shera Durbar e...
"Occasionally, Sita Dahal visited. Our friends in Nuwakot raised a pheasant, which she took with her. She also took the pheasant coop, and they even built a house for her to stay in," claimed a Maoist activist.
After Shrestha took the shares in 2016, he built both temporary and permanent structures there. The source claims that they even built a house for Dahal's wife. She visited the area frequently until 2017. However, after the death of Dahal's son, Prakash Dahal, during the 2017 elections, and due to her illness, Sita Dahal couldn't visit. "She (Sita Dahal) couldn't come after falling ill. Since then, some land has been sold to people from Kathmandu," said a local Maoist leader from Nuwakot.
The farming company, leased for 12 years, has only three plots of residential land. The title deed of the landowner, Shrestha, lists five plots as government land, three plots for a pond, one plot for bananas, and one plot as a garden.
Although land with a pond, bananas, and a garden would typically be considered government land, authorities have found that the farming company surveyed these lands under its name. Helen Shah sold 20 ropanis of the land, famously known as the Queen's Palace area, to Rajani Shrestha and Barsha Basnet (Chitrakar) from Battar. The land, with plot numbers 79, 80, and 81 (plot 81 was split and is now listed as plot numbers 1752 and 1753), was sold by Shah.
The landowners sold nine annas of land from plot number 81 to Basanta Bahadur Basnet, the brother of Barsha Basnet, a resident of Narjamandap in Tadi Municipality, now living in Kathmandu, for Rs 500,000 on January 29, 2024. After dividing plot number 81, they surveyed the remaining 6 ropanis of land under the joint name of Rajani Shrestha and Barsha Basnet (Chitrakar) with plot number 1753.
Developers have constructed both permanent and temporary structures on over 184 ropanis of land, exceeding the boundary of the historic Shera Durbar in Nuwakot. Although they built these structures under the name of Annapurna Farming, no agricultural activities or farming have taken place on the land. After noticing the excess land, they transferred it to the company's name and planned to sell it.
Investigators have found that a company was established for agricultural purposes, and individuals transferred the land to the company's name. "Around 2013 or the surrounding years, individuals including Bikesh Shrestha purchased Annapurna Pvt Ltd, and since then, they have acted as the land custodians here," the source said. However, on paper, Shrestha appears to have joined Annapurna Farming as a shareholder only in 2017.
Local residents speculate that Shrestha is the husband of Sita Dahal's maternal cousin (her brother-in-law by relation). However, no sources have confirmed this. Shrestha held the position of personal secretary when Dahal was Prime Minister in 2008, and after purchasing the company, local residents mention that Sita Dahal visited Shera Durbar three to four times between 2017 and 2018.
Local residents said that after Sita Dahal expressed interest in the land and location, Bikesh Shrestha built a three-story, well-equipped house at her request. However, as Sita Dahal's health declined, she could not stay there, and since the completion of the construction, the house has remained unused.
On this matter, Nuwakot MP Hit Bahadur Tamang defended the leadership in a social media post. He also called for an investigation into the facts. Claiming to be from Nuwakot, he stated that if any Maoist had occupied land, authorities would take action. He further refuted the news, asserting that it falsely accused the Maoist leadership.
Bikesh Shrestha became a shareholder of Annapurna Farming in 2017 and later took full ownership. In some cases, he took possession of the land by plotting it. Although the land was transferred under the name of the farming company, he left it unused. After becoming a central member of the Maoist party, he started plotting the land, using his influence and connections.
The Land Reform Ministry's Land Revenue Office in Nuwakot has been alarmed by the issue of land plotting. "We have already filed a complaint with the government authorities regarding the land plotting," said a local from Bidur Municipality-2 in Nuwakot. He added that out of 184 ropanis, 161 ropanis of land is registered in the name of Annapurna Farming.
On February 25, 1979, the Nuwakot Survey Office surveyed and registered the land related to Shera Durbar, including plots number 82, 83, 84, 87, 88, 89, 90, 92, 93, 94, 95, 97, and 98, covering an area of 164-13-02-01 ropanis, under the name of Gaurishankar Farming.
After the enactment of the Land Reform Act, boundary restrictions placed the land related to Shera Durbar and its associated plots under the ownership of Helen Shah, the wife of the late Prince Basundhara, and Bijaya Rajya Laxmi Shah. Since the land could not be surveyed in individual names due to boundary issues, the authorities surveyed it under the name of Gaurishankar Farming.
Although the survey of Shera Durbar's land was conducted under the name of Gaurishankar Farming, Helen Shah and Bijaya Rajya Laxmi Shah were the directors and shareholders. Gaurishankar Farming was established on March 12, 1971, and it seems to have transformed into Annapurna Farming through a decision made on June 15, 1979.
On June 25, 1987, the Land Revenue Office records replaced Gaurishankar with Annapurna Farming. By 1995, the company shares, originally held by Bijaya Rajya Laxmi Shah, were transferred to Jayanti Shah.
In 1995, four individuals - Narendra Lal Pradhan, Kedar Nath Shrestha, Sajani Shrestha, and Sohini Shrestha - received all the shares previously held by Helen Shah and Jayanti Shah. Then, in June 2016, a decision to cancel three share registrations revealed that Bikesh Shrestha purchased shares worth Rs 56.75 million, totaling 567,500 shares.
Similarly, Ajay Kumar Suryavanshi also holds shares. He bought 460,410 shares, valued at Rs 46.41million. Likewise, Dhruba Lal Shrestha, a resident of Bidur Municipality-4 in Nuwakot, bought 45,000 shares valued at Rs 4.5 million.
Suman Parik, a resident of Nagarjun Municipality-7 in Kathmandu, bought 45,000 shares valued at Rs 4.5 million and shares worth Rs 111.79 million were transferred to the name of the company. As of November 26, 2023, Bikesh Shrestha and Ajay Kumar Suryabanshi remain as shareholders, and Bikesh Shrestha’s son Manobal Shrestha, became a new shareholder with 90,000 shares valued at Rs 9 million. Currently, only three shareholders remain, with Bikesh and Manobal Shrestha being father and son.
