Locals in Chisapani, Bardaghat Municipality-2, Nawalparasi, have demanded that 8.5 bighas of land be transferred to the local government. The land, registered under the National Housing Company Limited Planning Office, Nawalparasi, has been at the center of controversy for years. Originally, 17 bighas, 12 katthas, and two dhurs in Makar-2/C, Plot No. 1310, were designated as a “Green Belt” in 1977. However, the dispute escalated after the survey office registered it in the name of the housing company on 16 Aug 2004.
Of the total land, about nine bighas were handed over to Divya Jyoti Multiple Campus. Locals are now demanding that the remaining eight bighas, two katthas, and 12 dhurs be transferred to the local government. Meanwhile, the housing company has sold three bighas to Timilsina Traders through a tender process.
Residents strongly oppose the sale and have urged the government to form a “Chisapani Land Facilitation Committee” to bring the land under local ownership. “Locals have been protecting this land since 1977. We believe it was sold in collusion with the land mafia. All of it, including the portion already sold, should belong to the local government. We are ready to pay the required price,” said Prem Bhujel, coordinator of the committee.
Currently, Chisapani Hospital operates on about five bighas of the land, with a trauma center under construction on the same site. Forty-two unorganized houses also exist in the area. The committee has been holding consultations with political parties, organizations, and stakeholders from ward to district levels, while also collecting signatures in support of its demand.
The three bighas sold to Timilsina Traders have yet to be transferred. Although the land was auctioned for Rs 220m about three years ago, the transfer stalled due to local opposition. Some residents filed a case in the Supreme Court seeking cancellation, but the Court ruled in favor of the traders.
According to Mahendra Thapa, head of the National Housing Company Planning Office, the traders paid only a 10 percent deposit and have not cleared the remaining amount. “There is pressure to divide the land into 52 plots and hand it over, but the process has stalled due to local resistance,” Thapa said. He added that the sale was conducted in line with government rules and that further decisions rest with the government.
Bardaghat Municipality Mayor Shambhulal Shrestha said efforts are underway to bring more than five bighas of the disputed land under municipal jurisdiction. “Out of the eight bighas, three have already been sold, and since the Supreme Court has ruled on that, nothing more can be done. But we are working to secure the remaining land in the municipality’s name,” Shrestha said.
The municipality has also leased 1.5 bighas from the National Housing Company for 40 years at an annual fee of Rs 350,000. A trauma center is currently under construction there, while initiatives are being taken to provide land documents to Chisapani Hospital and local residents living in unorganized settlements.
