MoAL accepts thousand hectares of land canals grabbed in Nangarhar

Following Ariananews exclusive report, the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (M0AL) now accepts that thousands hectares of land canals have been grabbed in Nangarhar.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture officials, the list of nearly 1,100 names of those who involved in land canals grabbing has been sent to the Council of Ministers.

The ministry noted that Nangarhar canal project schemed on 31 hectares of lands which now a large part of these lands has been grabbed.

Officials said that one farm in an area of two thousand hectares is also among the grabbed lands.

According to MoAL’s information regarding the grabbed lands, areas that have been grabbed illegally by the government departments is 276 hectares.

It has been said that these lands have been given in contracts but the ministry of agriculture claims that no contracts have been accepted due to presidential decree since 2012.

MoAL emphasized that a $ 25 million contract has been signed with Asian Development Bank to protect the canal project and efforts are underway to restore the canals.

Land grabbing has been posed a major challenge for Afghanistan as tens of thousands of hectares of government owned lands have been illegally seized or grabbed by local warlords and powerful officials across the country and returning it back to the government has remained a mystery.

Afghanistan is one of the countries where epidemic corruption speaks first, but the issue of land grabbing is said to be the most dangerous issue for the future of the country.