Local stakeholders said the hospital administration has surprisingly remained a mute spectator despite seeing such a large tract of its land being encroached

upon and used for private purposes.

Dozens of houses and commercial buildings have already been built in the encroached land that belongs to the hospital.

The recent expansion of East-West Highway and Kalikapath roadway has also reduced the total area of the hospital.

Records kept at the District Survey Office show that about 6 bighas of land is currently under the name of the zonal hospital.

However, the hospital’s land-ownership certificate issued in the year 1995 shows that the hospital originally owns 8 bighas of land.

Meanwhile, Medical Superintendent at the Lumbini Zonal Hospital, Tara Prasad Poudel, said that the hospital recently demanded one and half bighas of land belonging to the Area Forest Office for the  planned expansion of its medical college and other health facilities.

It has been learnt that around twelve bighas of land was allocated to the hospital in the year 1995.

However, the Landless Squatter Problem Resolution Commission soon distributed some of the hospital’s land to landless squatters as per the plans to rehabilitate them in the area.

Fast forward to present, large commercial buildings and houses can be seen in the hospital’s land that was originally distributed to the landless squatters.

However, the hospital has not been able to claim ownership of its land due to repeated political intervention.