Non-owners to get 75pc of land valuation

KATHMANDU, Sept 28: The high-level committee formed to facilitate land acquisition for Kathmandu-Tarai Fast Track Road has recommended to provide compensation to the settlers having no land ownership certificate with 75 percent of the land price. However, the bonafide land owerners will get full price of the land.

The team has clarified that settlers who are residing for over 20 years are eligible to get the compensation against the acquisition of their land.

The committee led by Chet Nath Ghimire, former deputy attorney general, has submitted the report to the Ministry of Physical Planning and Works (MoPPW) - the implementing ministry - last week.

The panel has not specified the price of the land in the project area as the Land Acquisition Act 1977 has provided the authority to Chief District Officer of the respective districts to make valuation of the land.

"However, we have set a standard for land valuation to facilitate CDOs to speed up land valuation process," said Ghimire.

According to Ghimire, valuation of land for the propose of loan, valuation of land while transferring the ownership by Land Revenue Office, and prevalent price of land at the local level have been taken as the basic criteria to fix the value of land to be acquired.

The panel has also advised the government to provide additional 10 percent of the compensation to those who are compelled to vacate all their land for the construction of the super-highway.

Mandatory provision to transfer the ownership of the acquired land under the name of the highway, construction of subsidiary roads to link the expressway, determination of price of land on the basis of first notification to the owner by the project, and not to affect the exit route as well as movement of local people after the construction of the highway have been put under the recommendation.

"We have recommended that the movement of local people should not be affected and arrangements should be made for underground and over the ground movement of people at required points of the proposed fast-track road," said Ghimire.

The committee has also advised the government to properly utilize quarried raw materials while executing the 76-km long highway.

According to Ghimire, the committee advised to link the fast-track with Birgunj Dry Port, making 1.2 km south alignment in the southern part of Nijgard to avoid the dense settlement and to facilitate the transportation of goods between Tarai and the capital. Ghimire estimated that over Rs 500 million is required to provide compensation to total 286 households settling along the proposed alignment area of the super highway.

The committee has found that around 70 percent of the total land to be acquired falls under the public land whereas the remaining portion of land belongs to local people who are either registered holders or settlers, residing for over 20 years in the same place.

Source:myrepublica

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