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Kathmandu, Jan 6: Minister Kumar Ingnam of Land Management, Cooperatives, and Poverty Alleviation is taking aggressive steps to cut out middlemen in land revenue and survey offices while speeding up services. He introduced a 39-point action plan targeting land and property administration, surveying, mapping, guthi management, and cooperative services.

A key part of the plan is transferring office chiefs where complaints arise. On Sunday, chiefs in Lalitpur, Bhaktapur, and Chabahil were reassigned, with a new chief appointed to Chabahil following Ingnam’s recommendation.

The plan also includes a client handbook for survey and land revenue offices, detailing which employee handles which service, expected timelines, fees, required documents, and preparation guidance. Available at offices and online, it allows citizens to access services independently, reducing reliance on middlemen.

Other measures under the plan include system updates, nationwide property record reviews, five new survey and land revenue offices, guthi land record preparation, resolution of birta land disputes, and adjustments to land costs above standard limits. The ministry has set deadlines for each action, and service improvements have already begun. Land service centers will be established in at least 10 local units immediately. Ingnam has personally visited offices to monitor services and tackle middlemen, shaping reforms based on ground-level complaints.

However, the reforms face hurdles. Eighteen chief land revenue officer positions remain vacant across the country, including in Mahottari, Dang, and Chitwan, while 28 subordinate officer positions are unfilled. Some officers are unassigned or absent. Ministry officials acknowledge the challenges and plan to meet the Department of Land Management and Archive (DoLMA) Director General to address staffing issues. Attempts to contact DoLMA leadership for comment were unsuccessful.

The 39-point plan reflects a focused push to streamline land services, reduce corruption, and improve citizen access, though personnel gaps could slow implementation.

People’s News Monitoring Service