Commercial plotting of fertile land is increasing rapidly in Morang district adversely affecting agricultural areas.

From Ithari to Inaruwa on the Mahendra Highway productive lands are being altered for the use of real estate business.

Morang district has 5,227 hectares land for agricultural purpose. However, with land plotting for a real estate sector, fertile land is being separated from the agricultural production land list day by day, said  Harendra Srivastab, chief of the Agriculture Development Office, Morang. According to him, about 10,000 bigas has been used for the real estate sector.

On April 4, the Natural Resources and Means Committee of the Legislature - Parliament had asked four ministries to suggest why the committee should not ban plotting of agricultural land.

The committee has asked Physical Planning and Works, Local Development, Agriculture, and Land Reforms and Management ministries to furnish their suggestions within three weeks. The move comes at a time when lawmakers have expressed concern over rampant plotting in the Tarai, the country's breadbasket, for real estate development.

The committee plans to study the ministries' suggestions before taking a decision. During the meeting, lawmakers demanded that the parliamentary committee direct the government to prohibit development of real estate in fertile land. They called for a land utilisation policy to protect "endangered" agricultural land. The government plans to draft a land reform policy once the high-level Land Reform Commission submits its report. The commission is scheduled to submit its report by May 14. 

"Fertile land in the eastern part of Ithari to Urlabari for about 40 Kms on both sides of the highway has already been turned barren. One Katta land cost Rs 1.5 million to Rs 4.5 million," said Ganesh Thapa, a land and housing trader. Similarly, land prices in the sub-highway of Mahendra Highway are being sold at a range of Rs 200,000 to Rs 1 million.

Traders said that since the last six months of this year land worth over Rs 2 billion has been transacted. This land value is the evaluation of the Land Revenue Office.

However, land traders evaluation is usually around 60 percent higher than the revenue office. Productive land of Sundarpur, Indrapur, Dulari, Belbari, Dangihaat, Pathri and Urlabari Village Development Committee has been already been used for commercial real estate plotting.

courtesy: the kathmandu post