MAHOTTARI, Aug 22: A large number of tenant farmers on Tuesday encircled the Land Reform Office (LRO), Mahottari demanding ownership of half of the lands they have been cultivating for the landlords.

More than 150 tenant farmers under the banner of District Land Rights Forum (DLRF) submitted a memorandum to the office demanding their rights ensured by the prevalent laws. The day-to-day work of the LRO was largely affected due to the protest. As mentioned in the memorandum, the tenant farmers must be given half the share of ownership of land along with certificates.

They also urged the concerned authorities to solve their problems immediately instead of compelling them to make rounds of the office for years despite having enough evidence. As per the government record, there are 9,692 registered and 20,572 unregistered tenant farmers in Mahottari.

As of September 15, 2017, 609 cases were filed in the LRO for the rights of the tenant farmers. The victims complained that the office is taking too long to solve their problems.

The movement of the tenant farmers has been a major problem since years and the victims have warned that it might take a violent turn if their demands are not addressed on time. According to the victims, ensuring their rights will encourage them to work harder and increase productivity.

Meanwhile, the tenant farmers also submitted a memorandum with 5-point demand to Minister for Agriculture, Land Management and Co-operatives of Province 2, Shailendra Kumar Sah, on the same day. Raj Kumar Basnet, coordinator of the District Land Rights Forum, Mahottari expressed his happiness after Minister Sah assured to take the issue of tenant farmers to the upcoming cabinet meeting.