KATHMANDU, June 12: The government has decided to implement the long-pending report of the Rawal Commission on the survey, investigation, and protection of government and public land, which was submitted 31 years ago but had remained unimplemented.
The decision was taken during a Cabinet meeting held on Friday, which also took note of a directive order issued by the Supreme Court instructing the government to act on the report, according to officials.
The Commission, formally known as the High-Level Commission on Government and Public Land Survey and Protection, was formed in 1993 to address widespread encroachment and irregularities involving public land, particularly in the Kathmandu Valley.
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Following the Cabinet decision, the government has directed the Ministry of Land Management, Cooperatives, Federal Affairs, and General Administration to implement the report and maintain systematic records of government and public land across the country for their protection.
Officials said the move could pave the way for clearing encroached public and government land identified in the report, including areas within Kathmandu Metropolitan City, and for legal action against encroachers under prevailing laws.
According to government records cited in the report, a significant portion of public land in Kathmandu had already been encroached upon at the time of the study, involving thousands of individuals and hundreds of plots.
The Supreme Court had previously issued a directive order emphasizing the need to implement the commission’s findings and to investigate and take legal action against encroachments nationwide. However, successive governments over the past three decades had failed to fully execute the recommendations.
Officials said the latest decision is expected to revive long-stalled efforts to protect public land and strengthen legal and administrative mechanisms for land management across the country.
