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Royal lands seized, king 'normal citizen'
 NEPAL plans to seize lands owned by King Gyanendra and other royal family members and distribute them to the poor while the monarch will be treated like a "normal citizen," a minister said Saturday. The law that will limit the amount of land the king can hold will be drafted once an inventory of royal land holdings are completed, the minister said. "The king and the royal family members will be treated just like normal citizens," Prabhu Narayan Chaudhary, minister for land reforms and management, said. "The seized royal property will be nationalized and handed over to poor farmers and landless people," Chaudhary said.The minister gave no timeframe for enaction of the law. Under the law, Nepalese people are allowed to possess 7.45 hectares (18.4 acres) of land, the minister said. But according to a preliminary report by the land reforms ministry, the king and royal family members own1729 hectares (4274 acres) of land throughout the country, including palaces and forests, the minister said. Posted by: Fred 2006-08-06 |
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