DUSHANBE, February 22, 2011, Asia-Plus — “After a meeting with residents of the May First settlement in the Qushteppa jamoat (community), Roudaki district I asked the district administration and the Prosecutor-General’s Office to probe once again into the issue of demolition of residential buildings in the settlement and adopt decision in line with the country’s legislation,” Muhibali Safarov, Advisor to the President for Economic Matters, told Asia-Plus in an interview today.
According to him, Roudaki chairman Saymurod Taghoyev promised to send one of his deputies to the settlement to meet with residents whose houses are liable for demolition and the Prosecutor-General’s will check legality of housing and demolitions.
Safarov added that report released by some media outlets that a special commission for consideration of that issue had been set up did not correspondent to the facts.
We will recall that some 30 women and children from the May First settlement gathered near the building of President’s Executive Office Monday morning. They tried to draw the leadership of the government’s attention to demolition of their houses by the Roudaki local authorities.
The women told Asia-Plus that on February 18 local officials cut the electricity and water to their houses without prior warning and police officers in masks cordoned them. They said some 50 newly built houses were destroyed, and officials warned they will also demolish older homes in the area.
Qushteppa resident, Ms. Tukhtakhon Usmonova, told Asia-Plus Monday morning that they acquired land parcels for housing in 2006. “We have all necessary documents,” said Usmonova, “The authorities now say the buildings will be destroyed because they were constructed illegally, without official permission.” They gave us one month to disassemble our houses, she added.
The local officials who ordered the demolition declined to answer questions from journalists about the reasons for the action.
In, the meantime, some 50 residential buildings that according to the authorities were constructed illegally have already been destroyed in the settlement to date. In all, more than 80 buildings are liable for demolishing in the May First settlement.
