Government issues Land Use Regulations

The government has issued the Land Use Regulations, dividing land into 10 zones based on its features.

At a press meet today, Minister for Land Management, Cooperatives, and Poverty Alleviation Shashi Shrestha issued the Regulations and informed about the classification of land.

Lands have been categorized as an agricultural zone, residential zone, commercial zone, industrial zone, area of mines and minerals, forest zone, public use zone, area of cultural and archeological importance, and others being based on topographic features, efficiency, and utility of land, its existing use, and necessity.

As the Minister said, the regulations prohibit commercial land plotting and its sale in areas except in classified areas for residential purposes. She was hopeful of the implementation of the regulations will be followed well, as it was issued in coordination with the stakeholders concerned.

Similarly, one land zone may have sub-zones such as grains production sub-zone and fruits production sub-zone, according to the Minister.

The regulations grant the right to landowners to go to a court if the party finds the classification unconvincing. According to the Minister, federal, provincial, and local levels will prepare land use plans and the province is required not to prepare a plan adverse to the federal plan and the local level not to contradict the province plan. 

The local level can change the land use for the purpose of disaster risk management, shifting the insecure settlements, prepare the basis and criteria required for regulating and checking the land plotting and demarcation. Provision has also been made for implementing the land pooling programme for the purpose of mechanization of agricultural land.

Minister Shrestha said that the land bank has not been revoked. She said it has only been suspended for the time being. Ministry secretary Ram Prasad Thapaliya said the Regulation has been introduced for conserving the agricultural land.