As the government led by Prime Minister Balen Shah has launched a nationwide campaign to remove squatters and informal settlers from public land, it has come to light that the house of KP Khanal, a lawmaker from the ruling Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), is also built on unregistered land.
Following widespread discussions regarding his house in Lamkichuha, Kailali, we spoke with lawmaker Khanal. He clarified that his family has been living on unregistered land in Lamkichuha for a long time.
Questions about Khanal’s property surfaced after the government deployed bulldozers to demolish the homes of squatters and informal settlers along the riverbanks of the Kathmandu Valley.
In a conversation with Setopati, Khanal maintained that his family is not occupying riverbanks. However, he admitted that they do not possess a land ownership certificate and have been using unregistered land.
"In Lamkichuha Municipality alone, 16,500 families live on unregistered land," Khanal said. "We haven't encroached on the river. Just like us, many families in the Tarai live on unregistered land."
He said that those living on unregistered land had been repeatedly promised ownership certificates by the land commission, but they never received them.
"The new government must resolve land-related issues now," Khanal stated. "A solution must be provided."
He expressed objection to reports suggesting his family had encroached on public land, saying, "I am a representative of many who have houses on unregistered land. The media has portrayed me as if I belong to some group."
Khanal claimed that 50 percent of the people in the Lamki Bazaar area live on unregistered land.
"We started living there when I was a child. We have paid taxes for the land," he added. "Everyone there has concrete houses, and there is a 20-foot road."
He argued that those living on such land should be granted land ownership.
He also noted that the Land Problem Resolution Commission had collected his family's details in the past.
"The Land Problem Resolution Commission formed in 2019 had registered applications. It has taken documents," Khanal said. "The Congress, UML, and Maoists did not solve the problem; they left it in limbo. Now, this government must resolve land-related issues."
