Government Issues Notice for Vacating Un-leased Government Land and Structures

Kathmandu. The government has issued a public notice to immediately vacate government land and structures built on them for which possession has been granted but lease agreements have not been made on time. 

On Wednesday, the Ministry of Land Management, Cooperatives, and Poverty Alleviation issued a circular stating that land for which lease agreements were not made by Poush 23, 2079, in accordance with the policy on registration, use, and leasing of government land, must be vacated immediately. The policy, implemented by the government through a notice published in the Nepal Gazette on Asar 23, 2079, stipulated a six-month period to finalize lease agreements for land where possession had been granted. However, the ministry stated that while land with agreements can be used as per the contract, land without agreements must be vacated. 

Ministry spokesperson Ganesh Prasad Bhat said that a circular has been sent to all government offices across the country to submit details of lease agreements with the objective of preventing the misuse of government land, and a notice has also been issued to vacate those without agreements. He added that the policy, previously introduced to prevent the misuse of government land, is now being emphasized for implementation. 

CPN-UML Party Office in Danger

The notice published by the government appears to put the party headquarters of the CPN-UML, the third largest party in parliament, in jeopardy. The CPN-UML party office, currently operating from the Tulsi Lal Amatya Smriti Pratishthan building in Chyasal, Lalitpur, may have to be relocated. 

The party has been operating its central office from the building established in memory of communist leader Tulsi Lal Amatya for the past three years. The land, spread over 12 ropanis and 6 annas, was decided to be granted possession to the Pratishthan by a cabinet decision in 2058 BS. However, the Pratishthan has not entered into a lease agreement within the time stipulated by the policy. According to the ministry's latest notice, the Pratishthan's possession has automatically expired due to the non-conversion into a lease, and the land and the building constructed on it must be vacated immediately. 

Ministry spokesperson Bhat stated that details are still being collected, and it is not yet known which structures have or have not undergone lease agreements. Bhat said, “We have currently circulated to the concerned bodies and government offices, so we cannot comment on any specific location at this time. However, we have published a public notice stating that if a lease agreement has not been made, it would be easier to vacate from now on.” 

The Pratishthan had built the structure on the land with the support of all three tiers of government and the Indian Embassy. Most of the space is occupied by the CPN-UML office, while the Pratishthan is confined to a small area on the Chyasal ground side. The CPN-UML headquarters in Balkhu was destroyed in the 2072 earthquake, after which the office has been relocated three times. The central office, initially located in Dhumbarah, was later moved to the house of Motilal Dugad in Thapathali. Although preparations are underway to construct a central headquarters building on land provided by Min Bahadur Gurung in Kirtipur, this process has also been halted due to disputes.