Janakpurdham, May 10: Guthi management related Guthi Sansthan offices in Dhanusha organized an all-party interaction at Janakpurdham recently to find ways to check rampant encroachment on Guthi land.

All the participants were unanimous on the need to form a high level commission to look into the encroachment of Guthi land, which has increased in a alarming proportion.

At the programme, Minister of State for Land Reforms and Management Gopal Rai stressed the need to make the income and expenditure of shrines and temples transparent and regularize worshipping and preservation work in a planned manner so as to keep the religious heritage alive.

Secretary at the Ministry Yoddha Shaha was of the view that a legislation should be enacted to return the encroached Guthi land. MP Mahendra Raya stressed the need to improve Guthi management and update the record of Guthi land.

He also stressed the need to deposit the property of the shrines and temples taken to the central Guthi Sansthan in local bank accounts. Digambar Raya of Nepali Congress stressed the need to find out where the money earned from selling the lands belonging to shrines and temples is.

CPN-UML’s district secretary Shital Jha said at a time when the Guthi offices themselves have no updated record of the land under them, it is very difficult to check the encroachment on Guthi land.

Meanwhile in Mahottari, Minister of State for Land Reforms and Management Gopal Rai made an on-the-site inspection of an embankment being constructed on the Ratu River in Kolhuabgiya village of Mahottari district on other day. On the occasion, Minister of State Rai gave directives for completing construction of the embankment well ahead of the stipulated time and said His Majesty’s Government would provide the necessary assistance for the project.

The district irrigation office has provided a grant assistance of Rs 2 million, the district road office Rs 1.5 million, the district development committee Rs 1 million and 250 metric tonnes rice for construction of the 6.5 kilometre long embankment, chief of the district irrigation office Siddhi Pratap Khand said. The embankment would be completed by next month, it is learnt.