Kanchanpur Municipality to Remove Encroachments on Religious Land

Kanchanpur. Belauri Municipality in Kanchanpur is going to remove unauthorized physical structures built by encroaching on religious and public land. The municipality will remove physical structures built for personal use in contravention of prevailing laws on land registered in the name of Bhuiyan Mandir in Ward No. 6, Richhaaha. The municipality has given a seven-day deadline to remove the unauthorized structures. According to the municipality, legal proceedings were initiated after a complaint was filed that locals were forcibly occupying and constructing physical structures on the temple land located in Richhaaha (formerly Shreepur VDC-3), Sit No. 0260871, Kitta No. 241, which is in the government and public ledger. The municipality's judicial committee had confirmed the encroachment on the temple land after conducting an on-site inspection, technical measurement, and demarcation on Poush 16, 2082. Similarly, the Municipal Executive meeting held on Chaitra 23, 2082, decided to proceed with the necessary legal process to clear the encroached land. A notice issued by the Chief Administrative Officer of the municipality, Khemraj Joshi, states, "Despite repeated verbal meetings and consultations with the encroaching parties, there has been procrastination in removing the structures, and obstacles have been created and damage caused to the work of the temple management committee in erecting a fence, which is why this step has been taken." Reminding that Section 11 (2) of the Local Government Operation Act, 2074, clearly assigns the local level the right and responsibility to protect public and religious land, the municipality has directed that the under-construction physical structures be removed at their own expense and the land be vacated within 7 days from the date of publication of the notice. If the structures are not removed within the stipulated period, the municipality itself will demolish them with the help of the District Administration Office, Kanchanpur, and local security agencies. The notice mentions that all expenses incurred in removing the structures and any damages caused will be recovered from the concerned individuals like government arrears.