The government on Wednesday officially launched the ‘Land Use Policy 2012’ that aims to encourage optimal use of land for agriculture.
The policy, introduced for the first time in the country, has divided land into seven categories — agricultural, forest, residential, commercial, public, industrial, and others.
The Ministry of Land Reform and Management prepared the policy in coordination with the National Planning Commission and support from the WWF-Nepal.
The government has brought the policy amid growing concerns about increasing fragmentation of fertile land and unplanned urbanisation. Land Reform Minister Chandra Dev Joshi said the policy ensures proper use of land plots and help determine valuation. “It will ensure the optimum use of land and control land fragmentation,” said Joshi. “It will help establish a link between agricultural with industrial sectors.”
The main focus of the policy is to make sure that fertile land is used for farming only, and bar dealings in land allocated for agriculture.
According to government statistics, the country has a lot of unused land waiting to be exploited. Only 28 percent of the total land has been used for agriculture purpose, while another 40 percent is covered by forests and vegetation.
The policy also talks of adopting land pooling concept to acquire land for development projects. It has also envisioned establishment of the Land Use Management Department, which will have experts from agriculture, irrigation, environment, urban development and management sector.
Land Reform Secretary Dinesh Hari Adhikari said there was a need for a new Land Act which would ensure effective implementation of the policy.
Source:kathmandupost