High Number of Families Without Land Ownership Certificates in Municipalities of Kanchanpur and Kailali

In Kanchanpur district, out of 111,067 households, 74,848 families do not possess land ownership certificates (Lalpurja). In Kailali, among 195,957 households, 134,233 families lack these certificates. Yagyanarayan Upadhyay, Chairman of the Land Problem Resolution Commission in Kailali, stated that post-census migration and the presence of Mukta Kamaiyas contribute to the high number of families without Lalpurja. April 11, Kathmandu.

In Krishnapur Municipality of Kanchanpur, 15,787 families are without Lalpurja, while the 2021 national census recorded 15,111 households there. In Shuklaphanta Municipality, 199 landless Dalits, 179 landless Sukumbasis, and 12,283 informal settlers—totaling 12,661 families—do not have land ownership certificates. In Beladandi Rural Municipality of Kanchanpur, out of 4,701 households, 4,760 families lack Lalpurja.

In Ghodaghodi Municipality of Kailali, there are 18,383 households, of which 18,260 families do not have Lalpurja. Among these families, 17,691 are informal settlers, 340 are landless Sukumbasis, and 229 are landless Dalits. In Godawari Municipality, with 21,250 households, 19,236 families lack land ownership certificates. According to Yagyanarayan Upadhyay, the number of families without Lalpurja may even exceed the total number of households.

The issues faced by landless Dalits, Sukumbasis, and informal settlers extend beyond housing, encompassing social, judicial, economic opportunities, land rights, and trust in the state. According to Pant, government policies are the primary reason many landowners lack formal certificates. The government has recently amended the law to dissolve the commission and allow for the formation of task forces or committees to address these issues.