Land Ownership After Six Decades

Rojina Rai/Dikesh Lama

For nearly six decades, residents of Gauradaha Municipality in Jhapa have faced difficulties despite holding land ownership certificates.

Due to legal and administrative delays, their land rights could not be fully implemented.

With surveying, verification, and record registration underway through the Special Survey Office, locals are hopeful for a long-awaited resolution.

Thousands of families in Gauradaha Municipality of Jhapa have been facing legal and administrative hurdles for decades, despite holding land ownership certificates.

Incomplete official records have affected land transactions, ownership verification, and banking services in the area.

While efforts are now underway to resolve the issue, many residents remain cautiously hopeful.

Around 6,000 households in wards 4 and 5 are still affected.

Ward Chairperson Jaganath Khanal says, field verification has been ongoing for nearly two years, but the process is yet to be completed.

Although land certificates were issued following surveys conducted in 2021 and 2034 B.S., the absence of proper maps and updated records rendered them ineffective.

The Special Survey Office in Damak is now working on updating the records.

Following this development, more than half of the pending cases are expected to be handed over to the Land Revenue Office within this fiscal year.

After years of unsuccessful attempts to resolve the issue, residents say the current process has renewed hope that they will finally receive legally valid land ownership documents with proper cadastral records.