Kathmandu, June 24: The House of Representatives at its meeting the other day discussed the appropriation heads concerning the Ministry of Land Reforms and Management.

Speaking on the occasion, Bharat Kumar Shaha of the Nepali Congress demanded that a concrete policy should be devised for resolving the problems of landless settlers, priority given to surveying the land belonging to VDCs, programmes aimed at freeing Kamaiyas or bonded labourers implemented more effectively, and tax collected strictly from the land exceeding the ceiling.

CPN-UML’s Tukraj Mishra spoke of the need to put an end to dual ownership on land, enforce the Badal Commission Report, map the border areas in a scientific manner to keep its record and change the guthi land in various VDCs of Tanahun district into Rainkar.

NC’s Prakash Bahadur Gurung said a revolutionary land reforms programme should be implemented to streamline land-related problems, genuine landless people identified and their problems solved, and the landless people of Kaski district provided land outside the city area.

Hridayaram Thani of the same party noted that the government should pay attention to mapping the land in Birendranagar in Surkhet, and an effective policy devised to resolve land problems.

NC’s Shivraj Joshi (Dailekh) observed that special priority should be given to plotting the land, landownership certificates provided to tenants and landless people’s problems resolved.

Damberbirsingh Sambahanfe stressed the need to implement the revolutionary land reforms programme, implement the report of the Badal Commission, identify genuine landless people to solve their problems once and for all, and stop corruption in land revenue offices.

Krishna Kishore Ghimire of the Nepali Congress that provisions allowing concessions to those who plot the land and implementation of a well-managed irrigation system and an integrated land information system stated in the budget are most welcome, adding that emphasis should be given to career development of kamaiyas in order to free them from the shackles.

Ananda Prasad Pokhrel of the CPN-UML accused the government of hesitating to make tillers owners of the land and depriving farmers of their tenancy rights.

Umakanta Chaudhary of the NC complained that in several VDCs of Bara constituency No. 1 land-mafias have claimed hundreds of bighas of land, the guthi land is yet to be managed and land ownership certificates have not been given to those who have been living for generations.

CPN-UML’s Lalbabu Pandit said disintegration of land has reduced productivity, tenancy problems should be resolved within a certain period of time, the land claimed by land-mafias made public, the provision of land ceiling strictly implemented and the Guthi land managed.

Damodar Bastakoti of the Nepali Congress observed that the people with means and resources have occupied the land of the helpless and the government’s programmes should be in the interests of the poor and the helpless.

CPN-UML’s Bir Bahadur Lama pointed out the need to implement the report of the Badal Commission and earmark the fund for building a land revenue office in Makwanpur district.

NC’s Tanka Prasad Rai expressed confidence that the land reforms policy to be brought about by His Majesty’s Government will be successfully implemented, the progressive tax system will help expedite the land reforms drive and the integrated land act will be in favour of the people.

Krishna Lal Maharjan of the CPN-UML suggested the shortcomings dogging land reforms should be gradually corrected, land-ceiling should be practical, dual land ownership ended, a concrete policy worked out to resolve the Guthi land problems and attention given to stop corruption in land revenue offices.

NC’s Ramnath Adhikari said it is high time that we assessed the success of the land reforms programme enforced way back in 2015 BS, adding, programmes such as geo-information system, mapping, freeing of kamaiyas, etc are positive.

Janakraj Giri of the Nepali Congress expressed the view that many programmes brought about by the land reforms and management ministry are revolutionary, demanding that a land revenue office be constructed in Bajura district, and land provided to landless people in the hilly districts.

Shiv Prasad Humangain of the same party remarked that the Congress party has all along been fighting for the sake of farmers against the feudal system and wants the kamaiya problem solved.

Keshav Thapa of the Nepali Congress laid stress on the need to utilize land to develop agriculture, resolve the problems of kamaiyas and landless squatters immediately as these have turned into begging bowls for political parties, and end corruption in land revenue offices.

Dilliraj Sharma of the same party noted that kamaiyas should not only be relieved of their loans but their landowners should also be penalised, and mapping of land should be made scientific.

NC’s Sushila Swanr spoke of the need of uniformity in land distribution, plotting the land, mapping of the land in a scientific manner and allocating enough budget for removing the kamaiya system.

Kailashnath Kasaudhan, also of the NC, demanded that disintegration of land should be discouraged, irregularities in land revenue offices controlled, genuine problems of landless peoples identified and their problems solved, and the people living in Chisapani of Banke-3 provided landownership certificates.

RPP’s Brijesh Kumar Gupta and Govinda Bikram Shaha noted that agriculture is yet to be modernised, the landless peoples problems resolution commission should be made more effective, those who have left their land uncultivated have not been brought to book in spite of the law and land in the hilly region has been left untilled because of law and order problem.

Shiva Bahadur Deuja and Sohan Prasad Chaudhary of the CPN-UML observed that without farmers’ development the country’s development is not possible, the Badal Commission Report should be made public. The employees of the land revenue offices take bribes to relieve the landlords.

NC’s Ramjanam Chaudhary noted that if the central and district members of the landless squatters problems resolution commission become inactive, the party’s election manifesto cannot be implemented and it is unfortunate that forests are being destroyed in the name of landless settlers.

Arjun Prasad Joshi of the Nepali Congress said that the Opposition has been talking of revolutionary and progressive land reforms, the government of the Nepali Congress had pursued the policy of the tenants have the rights over the land tilled by them and suggested the adoption of modern agriculture techniques, introduction of land utilisation policy, activating the landless squatters commission of various districts and enhancing the physical facilities of the survey, land revenue and land reforms offices.

Mrs Urmila Aryal of the CPN-UML said that 33 percent of the arable land was possessed by six percent of the people, attention had not been given to the protection of agriculture and small industries, and in the absence of land utilisation policy, the arable land was being filled up with houses.

Rajendra Kharel of the Nepali Congress said that none of the government so far could carry out land reforms in the true sense and pointed out the need for the protection of streams, rivulets and public land.

Birodh Khatiwada of the CPN-UML said that instead of punishing those keeping bonded labourers, money had been allocated for them on the pretext of debt relief, and that the Landless Squatters Problems Commission was becoming active only in the time of elections.

Narayan Sharma Paudel of the Nepali Congress referred to the context of the revolutionary programmes such as land for the tenants also and debt relief for the bonded labourers introduced by HMG, and demanded relief to the people of Chitwan district displaced by soil erosion.

Ganga Prasad Nepal of the CPN-UML that as the land distribution system was traditional and feudal, it should be made scientific, and the report of the high level land reforms commission prepared with Keshav Badal as the convenor should be made public and implemented.

Savitri Bogati of the Nepali Congress said that unless land was improved, agriculture development could not be visualised, fragmentation of land should be adjusted, and debt relief programme for bonded labourers was effective.

Sherdhan Rai of the CPN-UML alleged that the government had not introduced clear and specific programmes for land reforms and management having direct bearing on the economy of the country and economic status of the people.

Kashi Paudel of the Nepali Congress said that the government had presented a very good programme concerning land reforms and emphasised the need to take stern action against those involved in irregularities in land revenue which is used to run the affairs of the state.

Til Kumar Menyangbo of the CPN-UML said that as the programmes introduced by the government was unclear and ineffective in resolving the problems related to the land revenue, the programme seems to be for show only like the tusk of an elephant.

Kunta Sharma of the CPN-UML said that there was no policy on land utilisation concerning land reforms, and the land meant for horticulture, growing crops and housing was not defined clearly.

Ghanendra Basnet of the CPN-UML said that it was necessary to link agriculture with industries and trade to raise the productivity of land, and bring in policy to introduce land utilisation policy, integrated land information system, and start maintaining records of land in scientific manner.

Laxman Prasad Mehta of the Nepali Congress said that the budget had various praiseworthy programmes such as debt relief for bonded labourers, central integrated land information system, landless squatters commission but unless the citizenship issues was resolved, genuine landless squatters would not be receiving the land and attention should be given to this aspect also.

Chandramani Kharal of the CPN-UML said that as the country had sufficient technical manpower, they should be mobilised, and land related policy and programmes should be introduced.

Hari Narayan Chaudhari of the Nepali Congress said that the problem between the landlords and the tenants should be resolved and land information system should be introduced in a scientific manner.

Hem Narayan Yadav of the CPN-UML said that the ceiling on land should be enforced effectively and the citizenship issued should be resolved to solve the problem of the landless squatters.

Hari Bhakta Adhikari of the Nepali Congress said that emphasis should be laid on land planning and management, records of land maintained and package programme on agriculture introduced.

Tara Samayangya of the CPN-UML said that unless the land was owned by majority of the farmers, agricultural productivity cannot be raised, and provision of rehabilitation and employment should be made for bonded labourers instead of debt relief program.

Meanwhile, Netralal Shrestha of the RPP, Hridayesh Tripathi of the Nepal Sadbhawana Party and Lilamani Pokhrel of the SJM presented separate proposals for reducing Rs 100 on the expenses of the Ministry of Land Reforms and Management at meeting of the House of Representatives.

Presenting the proposal MP Shrestha of the RPP accused the government of aggravating the problem of landless squatters and benefiting its workers through political appointment.

He stressed the need of equitable land distribution, identification of the genuine landless, plotting of the land, physical improvement of the land tax offices and effectiveness of the central integrated land information system.

Stating that the landless problem would trigger encroachment of forest land thereby destabilising the environment, MP Shrestha drew the attention towards the registration of the land occupied by organisations and schools, debt relief of the kamaiyas and their emancipation, and making the tillers the owners of the land.

Presenting the proposal for reduction in the expenses of the Ministry, Hridayesh Tripathy of the Nepal Sadbhawana Party said the works of the Ministry of Land Reforms and Management should be carried out by the Ministry of Agriculture, the slogan of revolutionary land reforms has not been implemented, the landless farmers are under the poverty line and the landless squatters problems are political rather than economic. He alleged that the landless squatters problems resolution commission has been the stronghold for corruption and irregularities.

Similarly, presenting the proposal to curtail the expenses of the Ministry, Lilamani Pokherel of the Samyukta Janamorcha said the land policy of Nepal has not been people- oriented, the land tillers should have the ownership, the slogan of the tiller being the land owner should be implemented, agriculture, industry and commerce has been affected by the land policies, the feudal land-ownership should be ended, contradiction has been emerging because of the feudal land-ownership and the small farmers have been displaced by the multinational companies.

He said one million people are landless, the rich have left the land without cultivating it thereby hampering agro production worth Rs 20 billion, the classification of land has been wrong, and no concrete programmes for kamaiya emancipation has been brought.

Taking part at the discussion Parsuram Meghi Gurung of the CPN-UML said the land information system should be made orderly, integrated land reforms policy should be brought and the appropriated amount for agriculture is inadequate. He claimed that the landless squatters problems resolution commission cannot resolve the problems of the landless.

Mohan Bahadur Basnet of the NC requested to establish landless squatters problem resolution commission in Sindhupalchowk district, and demanded allocation of budget for repair of the land tax office. He said the programmes brought by the present government were positive and called its implementation.

Pari Thapa of the Rastriya Janmorcha said the political parties are using the landless problem as a vote bank rather than resolving it, and the debt relief amount set aside for the kamaiyas will not benefit them but will only benefit the rich. He drew the attention of the government towards the Tharu people of the west who are extremely backward.

CPN-UML’s Suresh Kumar Karki and Subhas Karmacharya said interests of genuine tenants have not been preserved, more than 70 per cent of the people have only one hectare of land each, land ownership certificates distributed to landless settlers are not accepted in banks, unless a revolutionary programmes is put in place, the slogan “land for the tiller” is not possible, no one seems worried about the Guthi problem and attention should be given to the betterment of the Tharus who have been working in Terai for generations.

NC’s Narayan Prakash Saud, Ramesh Lekhak and Ajaya Pratap Shaha spoke of the need for the government to bring in concrete policies for land reforms, solve land-related problems by resurveying the land, stop deforestation in the mid-western region, provide jobs to the bonded labourers, simplify the land-related laws, identify genuine landless people and plot the land.