20 townships illegally constructed in Mazar-i-Sharif

MAZAR-I-SHARIF (Pajhwok): There are 56 residential townships in Mazar-i-Sharif, the capital of northern Balkh province, and 20 of them have been illegally constructed, municipality officials say.

In some of the illegal townships, land plots have been sold and even homes have been constructed and construction work on some houses is underway.

Mazar-i-Sharif Mayor Naseer Ayni told Pajhwok Afghan News several townships had been constructed during the civil war.

According to him, the illegal townships lacked permit from the Urban Development Department and had been constructed arbitrarily.

Municipality cultural affairs advisor, Dawood Haidari, said owners of illegal residential schemes were powerful individuals or had contacts with high ranking officials.

Hamdard Township in Mazar-i-Sharif was called as illegal by municipality officials. However, the Hamdard township in-charge, Noorullah Hamdard, said they had legal documents of the township.

He said they had not launched the construction works arbitrarily, but they carried an order from the Ministry of Urban Development.

Townships called as illegal by the municipality have houses where people live. Their residents are worried about the townships’ illegalness.

A resident of Amani Karte Township in Mazar-i-Sharif, Humayun, said he had been living in the town over the past five years. He said many other people lived in the township.

He said he was told the township had been legally constructed and the municipality’s claim had created doubts in people’s minds. The municipality should legalize the townships in cooperation with their owners who should face accountability.

sns/ma

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