National
Chepangs without land deeds denied grants
Chepang communities residing at Parlak, Bhainse and Bangkurti of Benighat Rorang Rural Municipality-2 in Dhading were denied the housing grant allocated for the earthquake survivors.Rastriya Samachar Samiti
Chepang communities residing at Parlak, Bhainse and Bangkurti of Benighat Rorang Rural Municipality-2 in Dhading were denied the housing grant allocated for the earthquake survivors.
The April 2015 earthquakes had destroyed the entire Chepang settlement. A technical team from the National Reconstruction Authority (NRA)—a government body that supervises post-quake reconstruction—had already conducted a survey of the affected settlement, but the Chepangs have been denied the house reconstruction agreement and consequently the government aid as they do not have land ownership certificates.
“Our names are on the list of beneficiaries and the NRA team had already made a housing grant agreement with us,” Purna Bahadur Chepang, a quake survivor, claimed. “But we cannot proceed further because we do not have land ownership certificate.”
The land survey in 2032 BS had registered land plots at Parlak and Bangkurti villages under the address of Lothar Kandrang Panchayat Ward 4, Dhading district, Bagmati Zone.
The land plots that had been surveyed under the Dhading district was later transferred to the neighbouring district Chitwan, according to Ward Chair Tanka Bahadur Thapa.
With this change, the records of survey details had been transferred to Chitwan. The village came under Dhading during the demarcation of boundaries of the district.
“The government bodies have failed to do anything for these indigenous people so far. The issue regarding the land ownership should be addressed through a special provision,” Thapa said.