A total of 177,000 acres of land have been officially recognized as government property in Kandahar province.
Provincial officials say that since last year, 412,000 acres of land have been surveyed across the provincial center and districts of Kandahar. Of this amount, 177,000 acres have been confirmed as state-owned, and more than 19,000 acres have been reclaimed from land grabbers.
Officials add that the reclaimed lands will be used for various public purposes.
Shams-ur-Rahman Mosa, Deputy Director of Agriculture, Irrigation, and Livestock in Kandahar, stated: “Since the beginning of 1403 (solar year), the Commission for the Prevention of Land Grabbing, with the help of technical teams, has surveyed 412,000 acres of state land across Kandahar province. Of this, 177,000 acres have been confirmed as government property, and 19,812 acres have been reclaimed by decree and added to public ownership.”
Residents of Kandahar are urging authorities to use the recovered land for building shelters for returnees and for other development programs.
Noor Mohammad, a returnee, said: “We ask the Islamic Emirate to allocate land to us and provide basic living facilities. The reclaimed lands should be used not only to shelter returnees but also for other public purposes.”
Sediqullah, another returnee, said: “We call on the Islamic Emirate to dedicate the reclaimed lands to returnees. We have returned from Pakistan without any resources and need shelter and essential services.”
Meanwhile, the Islamic Emirate’s Commission for the Prevention of Land Grabbing has announced plans to establish a new ministry in the near future under the name “Ministry for Reclaiming Usurped Lands and Properties” within the framework of the caretaker government.