DHARAN, Oct 23: A 39 bigha (6.26 hectares) stretch of land in Barahakshetra Municipality-2, Sunsari district was surveyed some five decades ago. Back then, the survey measurements were recorded in the field book but no land ownership certificate was provided because of a conflicting claim. Taking advantage of the lack of ownership certificate, the so-called land mafia is currently fighting tooth and nail to capture the land, it has come to light.

The middlemen started eyeing the land after an all-weather road was built from Kanchi Chowk of Itahari to connect with a new bridge over the Koshi River. The road passes through the land in question. This has resulted in the appreciation of the land’s value. According to a source, local politics is also involved. 

The 39-bigha land area is known as ‘22 bighe’ as it was registered under the names of 22 different individuals during the survey. Those individuals were not able to get the land ownership certificates because the community forest also laid claim to it.

An eight-point secret document signed between the original claimants to the land and a second party (middlemen) has also surfaced. As per that agreement, the middlemen agreed to bear all the legal and other costs related to securing the land ownership. 

The middlemen plan to secure the claim of the supposed owners. After that, the land owners have to transfer 45 percent of the land to the former or to individuals that they recommend. 

It is also learnt that 16 of the supposed land owners have filed a writ petition at Biratnagar High Court after their original plan failed to materialize. They have named the land revenue office, the community forest and other offices as defendants, said Rewati Adhikari, information officer at the Land Revenue Survey Office in Dharan. 

Most of the land owners mentioned in the field book have already passed away and the remaining are now very old. However, none of them have built any structures on the land. Whatever has been built was actually built by others. The community forest office, meanwhile, has also not given up its claim.

“Only around half the original 22 individuals are alive today,” said Chudamani Tamang, son of Hari Bahadur who had his name included in the field book as one of the owners. He claimed that they were not provided the land ownership certificate because his father refused to give money to the officials back then.

Chudamani further said they agreed to seek the help of the second party because they are too poor to incur the costs of the paper trail. “First of all, we do not have any legal knowledge. We are also poor. So we have no choice but to turn to another party.”

 
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