National Land Network Urges Political Parties to Address Land Rights in Upcoming Elections

Kathmandu. The National Land Network, Nepal, has provided suggestions to political parties to ensure land rights, targeting the House of Representatives elections scheduled for the year 2082 BS.

Focusing on the House of Representatives elections set for February 21 (21 फागुन), the National Land Network Nepal publicly released a 10-point suggestion on Sunday for political parties to include concrete land reform programs in their election manifestos.

According to the Network, although there have been some improvements in the constitution and laws, weak implementation means landlessness, unplanned settlements, and unequal land distribution remain serious problems. According to the data from the Land Problem Resolution Commission, more than 1.151 million landless households are registered across the country.

This includes 90,983 landless Dalits, 171,073 landless squatters, and 889,345 residents of unplanned settlements. However, only about 8,800 families have received land ownership certificates. The Network states that hundreds of families are at risk of displacement due to the lack of legal ownership.

According to the statistics from the Land Problem Resolution Commission published by the Network, a total of 1,151,401 landless households are currently registered nationwide. Of these, 90,983 are landless Dalits, 171,073 are landless squatters, and 889,345 are residents of unplanned settlements. The Network noted that despite such a large number of citizens being deprived of land rights, only 8,848 families have received land ownership certificates to date.

The Network has urged the inclusion of 10 suggestions in the manifesto. The first point demands the provision of land ownership certificates based on residence and cultivation for landless Dalits, squatters, and residents of unplanned settlements. The demands also include the respectful resettlement of communities in high-risk areas with alternative land, and that no forced eviction should occur under any pretext.

A demand was made to end long-standing disputes over dual ownership, absentee land ownership, evicted lands, and public lands, and to grant land ownership to genuine farmers. It was also demanded that land exceeding the ceiling limit and unused land be acquired by the state and distributed to the landless and small farmers, and that new Land, Guthi, and Agricultural Acts be drafted.

A demand was put forward for the complete abolition of feudal labor practices such as Kamaiya, Kamalari, Haliya, and Haruwa-Charwa, and their integrated rehabilitation with free land. Furthermore, it was stated that collective rights should be ensured in the areas of Kholiya (slash-and-burn cultivation areas), grazing lands, and forests traditionally used by indigenous nationalities and minority communities.

For gender equality, it was demanded that the joint name of the couple be made mandatory on land ownership certificates. The demand letter emphasized prioritizing agricultural loans, irrigation, and market access for small farmers and freed laborer families, giving special encouragement to women's land ownership.

The government's attention was drawn to providing housing and agricultural land to landless Dalits as per Article 40, sub-clauses (5) and (6) of the Constitution of Nepal. Similarly, a demand was made to issue birth registrations and citizenship certificates as soon as possible to communities deprived of citizenship, including Madhesis, Dalits, and women.

It was demanded that Land Use Plans be implemented at the local level according to the Land Use Act 2076 to conserve agricultural land and develop planned settlements.

The final point of the demand letter mentions the need for legal arrangements to ensure land ownership in safe locations for marginalized communities vulnerable to climate change and disasters.