KATHMANDU, May 4: The government has decided to deliver land administration services—including land revenue and survey—through local governments, the Ministry of Land Management, Cooperatives and Poverty Alleviation said.
Under the new arrangement, citizens in municipalities where the system is implemented will no longer need to visit separate land revenue and survey offices for related services.
According to the ministry, 207 local governments have expressed interest in independently operating land revenue and survey services. These include sub-metropolitan cities such as Dharan, Ghorahi and Dhangadhi, which have shown readiness to begin operations.
Several rural municipalities—including Beldaandi in Kanchanpur, Sarkegad in Humla, Chulachuli in Ilam and Chakrabhatha in Sarlahi—have also applied. The ministry had earlier issued a seven-day notice inviting applications from interested local units.
Roshan Ghimire, director at the Department of Land Management, said all 207 local governments submitted their applications within the deadline. He said the service transfer will begin from the new fiscal year in mid-July, initially in selected municipalities.
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“Land revenue and survey services will be handed over to local governments in phases,” Ghimire said, adding that the services will gradually expand to other local units.
The ministry said it will deploy the required human resources and provide training to municipal staff. Preparations for the transition are expected to be completed within a week.
During the transition period, one land revenue office and survey office will remain operational in each district. However, the government is preparing to merge the two offices into a single entity, likely to be named either the Land Administration Office or the Land Management Office.
The district-level office will also coordinate with municipalities if difficulties arise in delivering land revenue and survey services.
Officials said discussions are ongoing to integrate the existing land revenue and survey offices into a unified structure. The Prime Minister’s Office has directed the ministry to move forward with preparations for the merger, which is likely to be implemented from the next fiscal year.
A consultation meeting held at the ministry last week gathered suggestions on the restructuring process. Senior officials, including directors general from the Department of Land Management and the Survey Department, participated in the discussion.
Sources said that if the merger proceeds, the two departments could also be integrated into a single entity. However, officials have yet to reach a consensus on whether the unified office should be led by administrative or technical (survey) personnel.
Currently, there are 135 separate land revenue and survey offices across the country. The government plans to reduce this to one office in each of the 77 districts.
The restructuring will cut the number of offices to 77, with each district-level office expected to operate with 15 to 20 staff.
The ministry has prepared a 10-point reform action plan focused on results-based governance. The plan’s first provision states that land revenue and survey services will be delivered through integrated structures in metropolitan and sub-metropolitan cities.
The proposal to merge land revenue and survey offices dates back to 2057 BS (2000/01), during the tenure of then secretary Yodha Shah at the Ministry of Land Reform and Management. The plan had envisaged a unified office led by technical personnel.
However, opposition from administrative officials stalled its implementation. The same disagreement persists, with the ministry yet to decide whether the integrated office will be led by administrative or technical staff.
