KATHMANDU, Sept 26: The Squatter Commission (Land Problem Resolution Commission), formed by the KP Sharma Oli government, has been dissolved following the fall of the Oli administration. With its dissolution, 316 political appointees from the Nepali Congress (NC) and UML have been left unemployed.
Traditionally, each change of government has been followed by the dissolution of the existing Squatter Commission and the formation of a new one. The current government has continued this practice, though no decision has yet been made on whether a new commission will be established.
Ganesh Bhatt, spokesperson for the Ministry of Land Management and Cooperatives, confirmed that the process of dissolving the commission had begun after receiving Cabinet approval. “The decision to dissolve the Land Commission has been made. The Cabinet has instructed the ministry to proceed with the necessary process,” Bhatt said.
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The Oli government had formed land commissions in all 77 districts, including districts without squatters. Each district-level commission had four members, totaling 308 appointments, while an additional eight members were appointed at the central level—bringing the total to 326.
On October 29, 2024, the Cabinet formed a central Land (Squatter) Problem Resolution Commission under the chairmanship of Hari Rijal. This was the 23rd such commission. The order to form it was issued on September 30. Before that, the National Land Commission, led by Keshav Niraula, had been formed on September 10, 2021, but was dissolved on March 21, 2024, by the Pushpa Kamal Dahal-led government after a shift in coalition.
That decision was challenged when two central members of the dissolved commission, Govardhan Kohli and Tek Bahadur Shahi, along with 17 others, filed a case at the Supreme Court on April 5, 2024. The Court issued a temporary order on April 7, preventing the formation of a new commission and directing that the Niraula-led body remain in place. The process was halted until the case was later withdrawn, after which the Cabinet issued an order to establish a new commission.
The first land verification commission for squatters was formed in 2009 BS under the leadership of Thulung Naradmuni. Since then, successive governments have formed numerous commissions and committees under different names to address the issue. For example, the Oli-led government formed a Land Problem Resolution Commission under Devi Gyawali on March 14, 2020. After the fall of the Oli government, the NC-led administration replaced it with another commission.
So far, 14 Squatter Commissions, three high-level land reform commissions, and five land registration and management committees have been formed to resolve the issue. Despite repeated efforts since 2009 BS to systematically provide land to squatters, the problem remains unresolved.
In 2013 BS, the Rapti Land Duna was created to distribute land more systematically, while rehabilitation companies and forest area strengthening programs were also introduced. In 2070 BS, a high-level land reform commission chaired by Keshav Badal, with members Haribol Gajurel and Khagendra Basnet, was formed with similar objectives.
