9th Nepal Land & Housing and Construction Expo 2026 concludes with calls for policy reform

KATHMANDU: The 9th CG Property Nepal Land & Housing and Construction Expo 2026 concluded in Kathmandu on Sunday. The four-day event attracted about 80,000 visitors and prompted renewed calls for policy reform to revitalise the real-estate sector.

At the closing ceremony at Bhrikutimandap, Ashish Gajurel, chairperson of the House of Representatives’ Infrastructure Development Committee, urged greater use of public-private partnership model. "It is not possible to develop the country through government investment alone; the private sector must also be taken along," he said. He added that the committee would work to remove legal obstacles in the land and housing sector and stressed the need to resolve issues such as land ceilings to mobilise private investment and ensure the construction of safe, high-quality housing.

HoR member Rukesh Ranjit said the exhibition’s success and strong participation signalled that Nepal’s economy was moving in a positive direction. He called for the real-estate industry to be developed as the backbone of the economy and urged the government to address policy issues immediately, stating that imposing land ceilings and raising taxes would not encourage the sector.

Nepal Chamber of Commerce (NCC) Senior Vice President Deepak Kumar Malhotra echoed calls to review land ceiling provisions, which he said have made the real-estate business problematic. He proposed that banks and financial institutions (BFIs) maintain a minimum loan-to-value ratio of 70% to stimulate activity and urged the government to implement previous budget plans to involve private developers in building 100,000 homes for government employees.

Nepal Land and Housing Developers’ Association (NLHDA)President Deepak Kunwar said the expo was a vital platform for dialogue among stakeholders. He noted that around 240 industries are linked to construction and housing and said the private sector was ready to assist the government with post-disaster reconstruction.

Bishnu Prasad Ghimire, representing the organisers, said several apartments and residential units were sold directly from stalls during the event. He called for real estate to be treated as an industry and for policy measures to address unsold completed housing units, alongside improvements in credit valuation and loan disbursement by banks.

The four-day event, which featured companies across land, housing, construction materials, technology and furniture, was organised by NLHDA and Nepal Land and Housing Developers’ Federation (NLHDF), and co-organised by NCC to mark its 75th diamond jubilee.