Chitwan:Experts on Tuesday urged the government to come up with clear policy and law on usage of land, stating that the lack of clear vision for the sector has created problems in best utilization of this critical resource.

“Currently, 60 different acts and 40 regulations have touched upon the issue of land usage. However, most of them contradict with each other, impeding proper management of land,” said Laxmi Prasai, land management expert.

Speaking at a program in Ratna Nagar, Chitwan, Prasai suggested the government to integrate all the existing provisions on land usage and transactions and come up with a comprehensive Land Act.

The program was organized on the sideline of National Land and Housing Fair being held in the district.

Even though the government recently formed a Council on Land Usage, experts said concerned government authority has neither interacted with the council members nor supported it in fulfilling its due objective.

The council has been asked to define and categorize land into different groups based on their usage and formulate the new Land Use Policy. It has been suggested to categorize land into agricultural land, residential, commercial, industrial, public and forest areas.

“Despite government´s instruction to support the council, land revenue and land survey offices have not extended helping hand to the council,” said Prasai. He further added that the council has already categorized land into different groups based on their usages in five village development committees (VDCs) of Chitwan and a VDC of Kavre and initiated test project on its implementation.

During the program, other experts too said the government should formulate Land Act and Regulations concentrating on planned settlements, agricultural productivity and output of the land.

They even urged the government to make public the report of high-level Land Reforms Commission, among others.

source: Poudel, Ramesh Kumar (2011),"Experts want clear land usage law ", republica,22 feb 2011