Land ownership certificates have been distributed to 862 landowners in Kharang of Chainpur Municipality–10 whose land records were destroyed during Nepal’s armed conflict.
On April 27, 2002, during the Maoist insurgency, the Survey Office and Land Revenue Office in Chainpur were set on fire. The incident destroyed land registration records, cadastral maps, ledgers, and other important documents relating to four local governments in the district.
Following the completion of the restoration process, land ownership certificates have now been distributed to the 862 affected landowners whose records were lost in the fire.
Chief of the Special Survey Office in Chainpur, Harisharan Nepal, said the certificates were issued after completing the necessary land surveys, mapping, and legal procedures for the 862 landowners of Chainpur Municipality–10 whose records had been destroyed during the conflict.
Local residents received their replacement land ownership certificates nearly 24 years after the original documents were destroyed in the arson attack. The fire had destroyed original cadastral maps, field books, and land registration records kept at the Survey Office and Land Revenue Office. According to Nepal, the certificates were distributed after completing verification and surveys covering 1,151 hectares of private land and 840 hectares of government land parcels in Ward No. 10.
Recipients said the certificates have made it easier to buy and sell land, access banking services, construct houses, and complete other administrative procedures.
The Special Survey Office in Chainpur was established following a Cabinet decision on January 27, 2020 to re-survey the affected areas and restore the destroyed land records. The office is currently carrying out land surveys, mapping, and registration in the Chainpur Municipality area through two survey teams.
According to the Special Survey Office, cadastral surveys have been completed in Wards 3, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11 of Chainpur Municipality. Land ownership certificates have already been distributed in Wards 8, 9, and 10. The office is conducting surveys across approximately 64,000 hectares in four local governments, Chainpur, Panchkhapan, Madi, and Dharmadevi municipalities, through two survey teams.