Tribhuvan University Vice-Chancellor States Land Reclamation is a Long-Term Endeavor

Kathmandu. Tribhuvan University Vice-Chancellor Prof. Dr. Bhola Thapa has stated that the issue of reclaiming land owned by the university is not something that will be resolved overnight. Speaking at an alumni meeting on Thursday, TU Vice-Chancellor Prof. Dr. Thapa said that this task will not be completed in 1-2 months and is a long-term issue that will require continuous effort for years. Thapa said, 'This is not a matter of 1 month, 2 months, 6 months. This is a matter that will take years and years, and this is a subject that needs to be continued for years. Because perhaps if any institution in this country is the richest landowner, it is Tribhuvan University after the government. Therefore, its responsibility is greater.' He assured that the university's lands will be effectively utilized without being left fallow. He expressed commitment to prioritize the protection, reclamation, and proper utilization of lands owned by the university. He stated that lands used by individuals or organizations outside the university will be brought under TU's full control after discussions as the contract period expires. Discussing that TU is the institution with the most land after the government in the country, he clarified that since there is no complexity like the squatter problem on public land, the problem will be resolved through bilateral or tripartite understanding. Vice-Chancellor Thapa said that reclaiming the land is not the only big task, but keeping it systematically under its own management is the main challenge. He said that due to the current administrative structure and limited staff, it is not possible to look after and manage the land spread across the country, so efforts will be made to build a strong administrative mechanism. According to the report of the land investigation committee of Tribhuvan University published by the government, out of more than 5,500 ropanis of land of the university, more than 2,000 ropanis of land were encroached upon and occupied by more than 18 organizations, including private and religious ones, in collusion with former officials and employees. Especially considering the situation where only about two thousand five hundred ropanis of land are in use, although TU has the land ownership of 3,613 ropanis in Kirtipur, and various organizations are occupying it, the need to investigate lands outside the valley has also arisen.