KATHMANDU, Feb 20: The government is mulling over switching to a single realty ownership certification system, under which it says it will issue single certificate for all land and housing owned by an individual throughout the country, consolidating details in a single document.

“We have already initiated exercises to this connection,” Keshar Bahadur Baniya, director general at Department of Land Reforms and Management (DoLRM), told myrepublica.com.


He elaborated that the new initiative is aimed at easing maintenance of records -- both for the owners and the state. It will also facilitate the state to track movement of property and income, according to the officials.

Presently, the government issues separate land or housing ownership certificate to individuals and firms. As a result, people holding multiple property units in a city or different parts of the country have to take care of numerous ownership certificates. It has been creating inconvenience and rendering safe keeping of records difficult.

In the lack of centralized database and system of consolidating the records of Land Tax offices (LTOs) and Land Reforms Offices (LROs) across the country, even the government does not know how much land does a person or company owns throughout the country.

DoLRM is presently identifying the legal and administrative changes it needs to go through to implement the program. It has also expedited automation of LTOs and is pushing for the early completion of e-governance program, under which the government will set up central data storehouse in Singha Durbar.

“Along with the automation, LTOs will also prepare digitized database of the past land ownership records. As soon as the government sets up central data management system, we will hook up all data and networks,” said Baniya.

The government has already computerized LTOs and LROs in 30 districts. By the end of this fiscal year, it has targeted to complete automation in additional 30 districts.

“Effectively all the LTOs and LROs will be computerized by the end of the next fiscal year. By then we will have digitized data of all ownership records as well. This will enable us enforce the single documentation system,” said Baniya.

By the end of fiscal year 2010/11, the government is also aiming to fully bring the ICT project that is being implemented with grant assistance from the Asian Development Bank into operations.

Under this e-governance project, the government plans to link computers of all LTOs and LROs with the centralized computer server at Singha Durbar, enabling the people to carry out land transactions and pay taxes from any part of the country. The government is spending $1.6 million for the project.

However, sources at Ministry of Finance said the initiative to switch into single certification system is not a new one. Similar program was announced about 13 years back as well with a motive to improve land governance, introduce new policy on land use and explore the possibility of imposing property tax. But this program had derailed amid resistance coming from different quarters.
courtesy:myrepublica