The government in 2008 formed the High-Level Commission on Scientific Land Reform (HLCSLR) with a view to managing land ownership and access in the country. However, the government has not released the commission's report, let alone its implementation despite concerns from several quarters. “We had assured people that HLCSLR was different from the previous mechanisms on land reform and that its report would be enforced. But the government's delay in releasing the report has disappointed them,” said Ghanendra Basnet, HLCSLR chair. Members of the commission and civil society think that the report should at least be released for public information so that they can provide feedback about it and decide if it is fit for immediate implementation. This has raised doubts whether the government is serious about the much-hyped land reform. “It is people's right to know what the report is like,” said Kumar Belbase, vice chairman of HLCSLR. “Delay in the release of the report and its subsequent implementation has raised doubts about government's intention.” The report was prepared after holding a series of dialogues with the locals in 35 districts. The document submitted to the government eight months ago focuses mainly on lawful access to and ownership of land, land use, protection and development. Some of the points recommended by the report are joint ownership (of both spouses) of land, distribution of land to Kamaiyas, Haliyas and other marginalised communities, ban on other activities in cultivable land and coordination with local bodies to manage land survey and distribution. The report also concluded that 1,407,100 families have no or dismal access to land. “We will file a complaint against the delay in the Committee on Natural Resources, Financial Rights and Revenue Sharing of the Constituent Assembly,” said Jagat Deuja, an advisor to HLCSLR. “If it does not work we will take legal help to pressure the government.”
Source: Kathmandu Post