DUSHANBE, January 24, Asia-Plus - Cases of illegal use of land resources are continuing to be observed in Tajikistan, Davlatsho Gulmahmadov, director of the Agency for Land-tenure Regulation, Geodesy and Cartography, remarked at a news conference in Dushanbe on January 23.     

According to him, inspections by the agency revealed that authorities of Kolkhozobod, Bobojonghafurov, Shahritus, Rasht, Tavildara, Darvoz, Ayni and Mastchoh districts had illegally allotted 78 hectares of irrigation lands for housing.  

Gulmahmadov noted that inspection carried out by the agency last year recorded 8,082 instances of violation of requirements of the country’s land legislation.  “Damage caused by irrational use of farmland amounted to 12 million somonis,” the agency director said. 

Last year, Tajikistan developed only 900 hectares of new lands, while 4,835 hectares, including 4,613 hectares of the irrigation lands, have remained unused, according to him.

Gulmahmadov added that they agency last year published geographical atlases for schools and administrative-political maps of the Sughd and Khatlon provinces.  “Last year, the agency also compiled and published the atlas of economic and social geography of the world,” the agency director said.