Industrialists want nomads to be relocated from Kandahar Park

KANDAHAR CITY (Pajhwok): Industrialists in southern Kandahar have called for the relocation of Kochis (nomads) who have settled on 500 acres of land designated for the provincial industrial park. Officials, however, have assured that efforts are ongoing to resolve the issue.

The industrial park, located in the Shorandam area in the east of Kandahar city, was allocated 2,000 acres of land. Nearly 300 factories are operational in the park, but approximately 500 acres have been occupied by nomads.

Industrialist Haji Faiz-ul-Haq stated that a significant portion of the industrial park land had been taken over by nomads, leaving the remaining area insufficient to meet the needs of industrialists.

He told Pajhwok Afghan News: “On the one hand, the current industrial park is inadequate, and on the other, much of its land has been usurped by nomads and should be cleared. Although action has been taken several times, the nomads remain settled on this land.”

Another industrialist, Nisar Ahmad, noted that nomads had occupied part of the industrial park for years, yet no action had been taken to relocate them.

He said: “Nomads have usurped a large portion of the industrial park land for years, but they have not been relocated. We request that land be allocated to them elsewhere so that basic services can be provided to the industrial park.”

Conversely, Allah Dad, a nomad residing in the area, said they had been settled there for a long time and that, at the time of their settlement, no factories existed, nor had anyone informed them that they should not live there.

According to him, a livestock market is located nearby, and they frequently visit it to buy and sell animals, making the area suitable for their needs.

Another local resident, Gul Mohammad, emphasised that they were not nomads who move with the seasons but had been permanently settled in the area for a long time and could not relocate.

Meanwhile, the Director of the Chamber of Industry and Mines, Syed Sarwar Amani, stated that about 500 acres in the northern and southern parts of the industrial park had been usurped by nomads.

He explained: “Due to livestock kept by nomads, greenery has not developed in the industrial park, and other services are also lacking. Land should be allocated to nomads in other areas, as they do not derive any specific benefit from living on industrial park land and can reside elsewhere.”

The Director of the Industrial Park, Mawlawi Ghausullah, told Pajhwok that the leadership had recently allocated 10,000 acres of new land for the industrial park and that nomads currently settled on this land would be relocated to other areas.

Head of Housing and Urban Development, Mawlawi Abdul Matin Saeed, who is also a member of the Land Usurpation Prevention Commission, said that the existing industrial park land would be cleared of encroachments and that practical work in this regard was under way.

He added that land would also be allocated for a new industrial park in the western part of Kandahar city in line with directives from the supreme leader of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA).

kk/sa