Process Begins to Clear Structures on Public Land in Gorkha; Palungtar Municipality Starts Land Survey
April 24, Gorkha – Local governments in the district have accelerated efforts to clear encroachments on public and government lands. Palungtar Municipality and Shaheed Lakhan Rural Municipality have already issued notices, while other local bodies are preparing to follow suit. Palungtar Municipality, being the first to publish a notice, has also initiated a land surveying process to identify encroached government and public lands. Chief Administrative Officer Sher Bahadur Bisi stated, “We issued a 15-day notice last Wednesday to remove structures built on public land, and land surveys are currently underway.” He informed that surveying has been completed in areas such as the Charakune of Radhakrishna Chowk in Ward No. 5 and Biruwatar in Ward No. 7. “Surveys will gradually be conducted in other wards as well. A decision to expedite the surveying process was made during a meeting of the Public Land Protection Committee,” he added.
The municipality has issued a 15-day ultimatum to remove unauthorized structures on public lands, river flow areas, and government-allocated or leased lands within its jurisdiction. If the order is disobeyed, the municipality will remove the structures itself and recover the associated costs from the concerned individuals as compensation for government property. Similarly, Shaheed Lakhan Rural Municipality issued a notice on Monday providing a 35-day ultimatum. The municipality has warned that legal action will be taken against those who fail to remove encroachments on government land. Municipality Chairperson Ramesh Thapa Magar has appealed to residents to remove all structures on government land, except for the landless Dalits, former bonded laborers (Sukumwasi), and informal settlers. He said, “There are 297 informal settlers, 10 landless Dalits, and 9 landless Sukumwasi in our municipality. We have forwarded their details to the National Land Commission’s District Committee of Gorkha to arrange land for them.”
He further stated that a deadline has been set for everyone else to remove their structures. Meanwhile, Arugad Rural Municipality has informed that letters have been dispatched to all wards to issue notices for clearing public and government land. Gorkha Municipality plans to hold an executive meeting soon to make a decision. Chief Administrative Officer Ekadev Khanal said, “Instructions have been given to collect ward-wise details. The executive meeting will be held the day after tomorrow, where a decision will be made, and a public notice will be issued.” Among the district’s 11 local governments, the remaining bodies are also preparing to issue notices shortly.
