PUL-I-KHUMRI CITY (Pajhwok): Over 31 million afghanis revenue has been embezzled from the Northern Coal Enterprise property during the past 13 years, Pajhwok Afghan News has learned reliably
The property includes 10 homes and 225 acres of agriculture land. The government received no revenue from 10 homes in the past 13 years and nothing from the hundreds acres of land in the past seven years.
Officials of Baghlan Mining and Petroleum Department acknowledge the property has been occupied by military and civil officials of the past government who enjoyed massive support from certain circles within the government.
Documents show six out of total 10 homes have been occupied by Doshi district police officer Agha Meer, Baghlan Police Headquarters Officer Zabet Amin, Afghan Local Policeman Syed Khan, Commander Agha Sherin, MarkaziBaghlan District Chief KhanzadaMazlumyar, and Baghlan Environment Department head NoorullahAmini.
Amongst the above individuals only KhanzadaMazlumyar said he did not take the house by force and was given to him by former Baghlan Governor Abdul HaiNiamati. According to Mazlumyar, he spent three years in the house and repaired it.
According to another document, four more houses of the Coal Enterprise have been taken by individuals who have no job in the enterprise.
They include Dr. Jalaluddin, an employee of Baghlan Ghori Cement Factory, Sher Mohammad, Ghori Cement Factory employee, Mohammad Shapour, assistant head of JabalSeraj Cement Factory during the previous government and Sunatullah, a traffic police official in Baghlan.
Among these 10 individuals, Sunatullah and Agha Meer have grabbed the enterprise land and built a house on it.
Pajhwok investigation shows that in February 2018 Coal Enterprise through an official letter to the Governor Office wrote that Sunnatullah from the past two years has been busy constructing a house on the enterprise land. He carried out the work during night and on off days.
In late February, 2018, the police department was informed and sought its help in preventing Sunnatullah from grabbing the state land.
The Northern Coal Enterprise wrote another letter to Justice Department in March, 2019 regarding the state land grabbing by Sunnatullah.
All the 10 houses of the enterprise are located in a strategic area of Pul-i-Khumri, the capital of Baghlan province. The monthly rent of all these houses amount to 100,000 afghanis and the annual rent is 1,200,000 afghanis.
Pajhwok’s findings show that the revenue of enterprise’s 225 acres of land in Chin Zayo area of DandGhoridistrict of Baghlan has not been deposited to the government’s treasure since last seven years.
The land has now been reclaimed by the Department of Mines and Petroleum of Baghlan, and the department this year leased out each acre of land for 10,300 afghanis annually which generate more than 2.3 million afghanis in a year.
The documents show that, in 2011, ChinZayo area came under the control of the Taliban and farmers were giving the lease money to the Taliban instead to the government since that date.
Farmers wrote a letter to the Coal Enterprise that time and said they could no longer pay the rent because the rent was paid to the Taliban’s Finance Commission.
Current government confirms the issue
Mualvi Abdullah Hamid, head of Baghlan Mines and Petroleum Department, said government facilities and properties around the Northern Coal Enterprise in Pul-e-Khumri had been seized by powerful individuals since the last 13 years and they did not pay the lease to the government.
He said the former government had been unable to retake state houses from powerful individuals during the last 13 years.
The government now is working hard to collect revenue, free usurped properties from grabbers and would lease them out through a legal process, he added.
Baghlan information and culture director, MualviAsadullah Mustafa Hashemi said, “Islamic Emirate has complete control over large areas of this province and it has the right to collect government revenue…”
He said that the Taliban’s Finance Commission had received the money which had been spent transparently.
Result:
Baghlan Department of Mines and Petroleum says that overall revenue of Chin Zayo area over the past seven years amount to 16,222,500 afghanis which was not given to the Northern Coal Enterprise.
Also, the 13 years income of all 10 houses, amounting to 15,600,000million afghanis, has also not been given to the enterprise, the source said.
The total revenue of 10 houses and 225 acres of land of the enterprise is estimated at 31,822,500 afghanis which the enterprise did not receive.
Based on a report of Pajhwok Afghan News published in 2013, around 35,000 acres of state and people’s land was usurped in Baghlan province.
Nh/mds/ma
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