Afghanistan Times
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By Farhad Naibkhel
KABUL: Ministry of Interior in an agreement with the Kabul Municipality, handed over a police unit titled ‘municipality military detachment’ to prevent illegal construction and garbing land challenges in Kabul.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed on Sunday by Acting Interior Minister, Massoud Andarabi and Kabul Mayor, Ahmad Zaki Sarfaraz to boost cooperation under the frame of newly established detachment.
Acting Minister for Interior Ministry Masoud Andarabi said that this detachment will operate with 409 soldiers and officers in order to prevent construction of illegal buildings and usurping of lands in Kabul city and its districts
Speaking at a joint press conference with Kabul mayor said that this detachment will help the municipality to implement law through the frame of municipality’s strategy and prevent construction buildings which are against city planning in Kabul.
All facilities and equipments will be provided to the unit by interior ministry and it will operate under order of municipality, he added.
No police including police headquarters officers and intelligence figures of the interior ministry has the right to interfere in construction affairs and issue of grabbing lands, after the new detachment started operation, otherwise they will face legal action, he emphasized.
Asking the people, acting minister said that if anyone faced police interference except the newly established detachment in construction fields inform to the interior ministry.
In some cases, if the ministry needed more power interior ministry will support the detachment, he mentioned.
Pointing to establishment of another department in interior ministry named “Internal Security Department,” he said that this department will work against corruption in police crew as well as struggle to prevent influence of spays and insurgents in police crew.
Kabul Mayor Ahmad Zaki Sarfaraz while voicing pleasure over establishing of the detachment, said that implementation of municipality plan faced many challenges and stubbornness reached at a high level in Kabul city.
He said that many buildings constructed in contrary with the municipality plan without parking and proper canalization in Kabul city.
Often municipality stopped construction of illegal buildings in different part of the city, but they worked at nights or on Fridays, he noted.
Only municipality won’t be able to address all issues, interior ministry must support us in the aspect, he underlined.
It is pertained to mention that the growth of population day by day has led to an increasing number of constructions, among them few are legal and a large number can be found to be illegal. These illegal constructions are done without any proper authority, and they don’t have any legal documents of the area to construct. Some powerful figures including governmental, members of parliament and jihadi parties were behind the illegal construction toll buildings in Kabul city.
Beside high population other main causes of illegal construction are poverty, urbanization and excess need of housing demands.
In some cases people has lodge some complaints to the municipality, but it was not addressed due to some challenges.
