Land revenue offices to partially open

Kathmandu, June 6

Department of Land Management and Archives has issued a circular to all land revenue offices asking them to resume internal and urgent services from tomorrow. The department stated that it had decided to reopen basic services as per the request of stakeholders and service-seekers in the face of the prolonged lockdown.

Spokesperson for the Ministry of Land Management, Cooperatives and Poverty Alleviation Janak Raj Joshi said the department’s circular to all land revenue offices was only meant for partial reopening, before resuming fullfledged operations.

“We had discussed the issue for a week or so about whether or not LROs can resume some basic services. If everything goes as anticipated, we can broaden the scope of services gradually,” Joshi said, adding that gradual reopening would give government offices time to assess the situation, including the risk of coronavirus infection spreading.

“If gradual reopening increases risk of infection, then LROs will reconsider their decisions. But if no such risks are witnessed, then within two to three months, all LROs may fully resume their services,” Joshi said.

All the land revenue offices have remained closed after the government imposed nationwide lockdown to control the coronavirus outbreak on March 24. The circular reads that the offices will resume their works and services by following all precautionary measures advised by the Ministry of Health and Population.

He further said that land revenue offices would open on the basis of priority report prepared by the High-Level Coordination Committee for the Prevention and Control of COVID-19, formed under Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Ishwar Pokharel.

The committee has suggested following the strategy of reopening on the basis of green, yellow and red zones across the country. The ministry has put all the border districts of the Tarai in the red zone, as each of those districts has more than 20 COVID-19 cases.
Kathmandu falls in the yellow zone. The capital is at risk of witnessing more positive cases in the coming days.

Joshi said social distancing should be followed until the country overcomes the threat of COVID-19 and use of facial mask should be made mandatory on the premises of land revenue offices.

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A version of this article appears in e-paper on June 7, 2020, of The Himalayan Times. 

The post Land revenue offices to partially open appeared first on The Himalayan Times.

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