DUSHANBE, January 17, Asia-Plus — Speaking to journalists after at a January 16 regular sitting of the fourth session of the Majlisi Namoyandagon (Tajikistan’s lower chamber of parliament), MP Shodi Shabdolov, who is also leader of the Communist Party (CPT) said, “The Communist Party’s faction in the parliament does not support adoption of the mortgage law in government’s edition.”
“On what grounds the land-use right can be sold by auction?” “The Constitution precisely determines that earth, mineral wealth and other natural resources are property of state,” said Shabdolov, “It means that state has the right of possession and use of land, providing, for example, farmers with right of use of it.”
According to him, the mortgage law in the government’s edition allows disposing land by means of selling the land-use right by auction. “During the first reading, we excluded the provisions providing for the possibility of selling the land-use right but the president returned the law to the parliament for reconsideration,” said Shabdolov, “On what grounds creditors (bank or futures company) sells the and-use right by auction?”
Selling the land-use right by auction may have serious consequences for farmers, according to him. “If they lose the right of use of land they will join the ranks of unemployed and labor migrants,” Shabdolov stressed.
According to him, even farmers of average means will not be able to buy the land-use right. “The number of monopolists possessing land will increase and crisis in the agrarian sector will become strained,” MP said, noting that the adopted mortgage law is in contrary with the country’s Constitution.
