Thousands of acres of public land reclaimed in Nimroz

ZARANJ (Pajhwok): The government on Wednesday reclaimed around 10,000 acres of land from its illegal occupants mainly powerful figures in Zaranj, the capital of southwestern Nimroz province.

Mohammad Nader, provincial real estate manager, in an exclusive interview with Pajhwok Afghan News said a delegation comprised of officials from agriculture, justice, security and real estate departments was tasked three days ago with recovering public lands in the province.

He said around 10,000 acres of land which had been grabbed in Chagni area of Zaranj city was identified during the supervision and retaken from its illegal occupants in cooperation with other relevant organs today.

Governor Mohammad Sami said the provincial government had adopted a strong stance against corruption, drug smuggling and land grabbing.

He said Nimroz people had promised him that they would support him in implementing his plans. “The retaking of thousands of acres of land from its grabbers is a sign of people’s cooperation,” he added.

Sami said public property would be retaken from their illegal grabbers at any cost.

The same delegation has previously recovered around 4,000 acres of land including 2,600 acres in Chakhansor and 800 acres in Zaranj city.

Meanwhile, Azizullah Basir, provincial justice department head chief, told Pajhwok that 134,000 acres of land in Chakhansor and Khashrod districts and the provincial capital remained grabbed by more than 1,000 occupants.

“Most of the land is grabbed in areas under Taliban control”, he said.

Mohammad Akbar Sharifi, Nimroz agriculture, irrigation and livestock director, said his department had been able to recover 266 acres of land in the past four years.

He said the recovered land had been allocated to a 400-bed hospital, a stadium and a forest farm.

Nimroz residents, particularly civil society activists, appreciated the local administration’s efforts at recovering the usurped public properly.

Abdul Hadi Baidar, a civil society activist, said many powerful figures encroached upon green and recreational areas in the past few years.

He asked the government to free public areas from their illegal occupants.

Mohammad Nazari, a tribal elder in Nimroz, also said that recreational areas in the capital were usurped in the past years.

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