Madhav Nepal implicated in Biratnagar land case after Kavre

Kathmandu – A land controversy involving Madhav Kumar Nepal, the chairman of the CPN (Unified Socialist) party, who was recently released on a 3.5 million rupee bail over a different land case in Kavre, has now turned the spotlight on a similar land issue in Biratnagar.

The issue dates back to 2010 when, during Nepal’s tenure as Prime Minister, the government decided to sell land that was initially allocated for one purpose to be used for another. This decision has sparked debate in Biratnagar.

The land, located in Ward No. 2 of Biratnagar Metropolis at an area known as Shankarpur, was initially leased for agricultural purposes by former Prime Minister Nagendra Prasad Rijal. Through Rijal Tasi Company, he established a ‘Canning Company Pvt. Ltd.’, acquiring about 3.5 bighas of land intended for fruit cultivation. Local residents recall that Rijal Tasi had planted an orchard for juice and fruit production, which operated until a few years ago.

According to Kumar Pokharel, the continuously elected ward chairman since the first round of local elections in 2017/18, Rijal Tasi’s land has now been swapped and sold. “This case is similar to the Giribandhu Tea Estate in Jhapa,” he observed, explaining that the Rijal family had exchanged the ceiling-bound land allocated for fruit farming with another plot in Motipur, Morang. “It wasn’t legally appropriate. This all happened before we were elected.”

A ward office member noted that under Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal’s leadership, on May 25, 2010, a cabinet decision opened the land for sale after a land ceiling had been imposed on it. Consequently, a hospital has now been constructed on part of this land. “Now, the land is in the hands of businessmen and industrialists,” he commented, mentioning prominent figures like Constituent Assembly member Pawan Sarada. The Morang Cooperative Hospital has already developed structures on approximately nine katthas of this land and begun operations.

Locals mention that with the recent spike in land valuations, the Rijal family, during the tenure of Prime Minister Nepal, managed to swap the land in their favor. During his premiership, the cabinet included Land Reform Minister Dambar Bahadur Shrestha and Land Reform Secretary Chhabiraj Pant. This has raised ethical and legal questions concerning former Prime Minister Nepal’s decisions in this case.