THE government will this week release indicative prices for the sale of land plots countrywide as a measure to protect buyers, the Deputy Minister for Lands, Housing and Human Settlements Development, Ms Angeline Mabula, has said. Moreover, she said, it is illegal for land officers to acquire people’s land before paying them the needed compensation.
She gave the announcement at the
National Assembly here yesterday when responding to a number of
questions posed to her ministry during the question and answer session.
Responding to question by Mr Faustine
Ndungulile (Kigamboni - CCM), who wanted to know when the government
will waive its stop order of surveying and sale of plots in Kigamboni
areas, Ms Mabula said the move aimed at coming up with indicative prices
for sale of land plots.
“We have decided to stop the survey by
private companies so that we come up with indicative prices as there
others who were selling them at the exorbitant prices,” she said.
She gave an example of Kigamboni where
there are three private companies surveying the plots for sale whereas
they range between 20,000/-, 15,000/- and 10,000/- per square metre,
which, she described as unrealistic.
“We also survey and sale plots, but the
prices offered by private companies are unrealistic, that is why we
decided to stop the process as we come up with indicative prices which
will be out this week” said Ms Mabula.
She was reacting to the main question by
Ms Lucy Magereli (Special seats- CHADEMA), who wanted to know the
government’s plans to ensure that the Master Plans are available in all
municipalities as a land use and city plan toolkit.
The deputy minister said the Master Plan
and City Plan architects were supposed to be available in all
responsible authorities in cities, town council, municipal and district
councils.
She noted that lands conflicts needed
special attention and that is why her ministry had for a start, issued
the master plan to all local government chairpersons in Dar es Salaam as
key persons in dealing with the problem.
Ms Mabula stated that the government was
intending to empower the local government chairpersons as key partners
in implementing proper land use by training them to have capacity to
read the master plan and stand by their intended use.
“They have to be given the basic skills
to be able to read the master plans and at the end of the day they will
be guided by the earmarked land use when endorsing land sale” she said.
Ms Anna Lupembe (Special Seats-CCM),
wanted to know when the government will start issue land certificates
for Kichangani residents in Mpanda Urban District to which the deputy
minister said they were still demarcating the areas before issuing the
plots.
Ms Mabula told the House that it is
forbidden for a land officer to acquire land from the people regardless
of the intended use before paying them appropriate compensation. “It is
forbidden to acquire people’s land or farms without completing all
proper acquisition rules, including compensation.
Land officers must be guided by this,”
she directed. She added that the government is also working on the land
conflicts involving Kibada residents in Kigamboni to verify the land
certificates for the contested areas before allowing them to go ahead
with construction
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