By Siraj Khan, Nepalgunj, Mar. 23: The District Coordination Committee of Banke has recommended to the Ministry of Land Management, Cooperatives and Poverty Alleviation to reclaim the 180 Bighas of government land in Khadsari, Khajura Rural Municipality–6, given to the local Khadsari Mills Pvt. Ltd. for sugarcane cultivation and the operation of a sugar mill.

“The government had provided the land for sugarcane farming and sugar mill in 1982. But since it is not being used for that purpose, we have asked the government to re-register it in its name,” Amar Sejuwal, head of the Land Revenue Office of the district, told The Rising Nepal. Under the current market prices, the land is worth Rs. 1.02 billion.

Sejuwal said that the monitoring and inspection committee chaired by Ajay Srivastav, coordinator of the District Coordination Committee, recommended to the Land Management Ministry to bring the land under the government.

Sejuwal, who was also the member secretary of that monitoring committee, informed that the land was above the legally set ceiling for land ownership and had been released to the Mills specifically on the condition that they use it for sugarcane cultivation and mill operation. “Since they have not used it for long, we made the recommendation,” he said.

Of the 189 Bighas, the government had decided to confiscate 71 Bighas in 1992 after the condition was not fulfilled. However, the mill had promised to operate the mill and cultivate sugarcane on the land within 1995 and managed to retain ownership.

Head of Khajura Rural Municipality Kismat Kakshapati said that people set up squatter settlements in some sections of the land and brokers were engaged in selling some plots. “That is why we made the recommendation,” he said.