DPM Paudel stresses classification of lands

Kathmandu, Dec. 13

Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Bishnu Prasad Paudel has expressed the government's readiness to listen to the grievances of the land and housing developers and entrepreneurs.

Speaking at the inaugural session of the third general convention of the Nepal Land and Housing Developers' Federation (NHLDF) in Kathmandu on Friday, DPM Paudel said, "I think the land and housing is not just a business, it's a significant part of national development drive."

He also urged the real estate entrepreneurs to have patience while also maintaining that the government must be clear about the policy to be adopted for the promotion and development of this business.

"Classification of land is an urgent need to preserve arable land and stop the fields turn into a concrete jungle," said Finance Minister Paudel.

Likewise, he said that attention should be paid to the basic infrastructure and amenities in the urban areas. Our cities need some reform in terms of planning and making them livable, and the role of land and housing as well as construction entrepreneurs is critical in this regard, he maintained.

DPM Paudel stressed conducting land and housing businesses through registered brokers or agencies by implementing the recently formulated act. The law is not yet implemented in the absence of required bylaws.

Stating that the government was in the mood to allow the private sector to enter into land pooling, he said that the ceiling of land ownership has been a hurdle for the large-size businesses in this sector.

"The policy was an instrument in the past to end the ownership of a few people over vast territories. But we need to review it and find a new course," he said.  

For example, a solar field should be expanded into hundreds of bighas of land but the current limit restricts the business of such type so the government has taken it as one of the priority issues, said DPM Paudel.

He also suggested that the housing developers could create business by targeting the Nepali diaspora as well. "Create products targeting them, the government will create a favourable policy environment for it," he said.

Kamlesh Kumar Agrawal, President of Nepal Chamber of Commerce, said that the government should immediately act to facilitate the growth of this sector. "Unnecessary regulation has also repercussions on this sector," he said.

Chandra Prasad Dhakal, President of the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry, stated that some of the private sector's suggestions to the government have been ignored or partially addressed which would not facilitate the business in a true sense.

"The private sector now talks not only about personal or business benefits, it also considers greater social and economic benefits," he said.

Meanwhile, the general convention elected a new working committee of the organisation in the leadership of Bishnu Prasad Ghimire. He has succeeded Bhesh Raj Lohani.

Likewise, Bidur Dhamala has been elected as the senior vice-president, Raj Kumar Rai and Dipak Kunwar vice-president, Purushottam Poudyal vice-president (Bagmati Province), Roshan Bhoyodyo General Secretary and Ghanshyam Pokhrel as secretary.

Members of the working committee are Arun Stom Tripathi, Dasharath Poudel, Upendra Prasad Awasthi, Tulasi Prasad Adhikari, Bahadur Krishna Tamrakar, Lila Bahadur Adhikari, Mani Kumar Prasain and Dev Kumar Mahato. 

 Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 14 December 2024.