44 Residential Townships Verified in Balkh by Land Recovery Commission

Officials of Mazar-e-Sharif Municipality say that since the establishment of the Commission for the Prevention of Land Grabbing and the Recovery of Usurped Lands in Afghanistan, 44 residential townships in Balkh province have been officially verified.

According to the officials, five of these townships have recently been cleared, and the process of reconstruction and issuance of construction permits will begin there soon.

Abdul Rahman Hemat, mayor of Mazar-e-Sharif, said: “God willing, work permits for reconstruction, construction, renovation of houses, roads, and other infrastructure in these five townships will soon be issued.”

Meanwhile, officials from several townships called for greater cooperation and coordination among relevant institutions to verify property ownership documents and address the challenges faced by residents.

The mayor of Mazar-e-Sharif said the concerns and requests raised by township representatives would be taken into consideration.

Mohammad Nasim Doran, a township representative, said: “Meetings should continue so that we can resolve people’s problems, especially issues related to property documents in a more effective and fundamental way.”

Abdul Rahman Hemat said: “Meetings have already started, and township owners will be invited to the ministry, municipality, and provincial offices so their issues can be reviewed.”

At the same time, a number of residents who had waited for years for legal issues to be resolved and for the formal construction process to begin welcomed the move and called for the decision to be implemented as soon as possible.

Del Agha Faizi, a resident of Mazar-e-Sharif, said: “The release of these five townships is a positive step, and we are happy about it, but it should be implemented as quickly as possible so people’s concerns can come to an end.”

Another resident, Mohammad Rahim, said: “People need to build and develop their homes, but until now they were not allowed to work, and buying and selling had been suspended. We are pleased with this decision and hope it will soon be finalized.”

In recent years, the Commission for the Prevention of Land Grabbing and the Recovery of Usurped Lands has begun reviewing the legal status of townships in Balkh and several other provinces.

Officials say that with the verification of some of these townships, the process of issuing construction permits and reconstruction will gradually begin.