|
It`s time double plot allocation was solved once and for all
2008-04-14 09:32:27
By Rayner Ngonji
One of the areas that President Jakaya Kikwete vowed to deal with when he got into the highest office in December 2005 was to solve problems in regard to double allocation of plots in urban areas.
The president said he saw no reason why there should be double allocation of plots if everyone in the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Human Settlements Development observed the rules governing plots distribution.
He thus directed the ministry authorities to find a solution to the problem as soon as possible.
Double allocation of plots for a considerable time has been a thorny issue amongst Tanzanian communities as a handful of wealthy individuals opted to behave like an outstanding adage which says `the shark feeds on smaller fish.`
Stories of unscrupulous land officials conning middle and minimum wage earners through the practice was order of the day.I know of a man who was conned three times.
Whenever he bought a plot and started developing it, another owner of the same plot would emerge with all relevant documents purporting to be the right occupant.
The man had no alternative but to surrender the plot to the original owner, settle for a while and then look for another one.
Indeed, President Kikwete`s commitment to wipe out the problem did work. For sometime double allocation stories were unheard of.
But of late the problem is resurfacing again. A developer sleeps, wakes up and from nowhere claims ownership of an area demanding an immediate eviction of the people who had been residing in the disputed area for more than 20 years or so.
Sometimes dates of the documents of the title deed varies with the time which the occupants have been living in the disputed area indicating that foul play has been applied to acquire ownership of the plot.
This has developed to uncontrollable situations resulting for example in the Tabata demolitions where thousands of people were rendered homeless after their houses were pulled down on Ilala Municipal Council orders.
This has happened because traditionally no actions were taken against previous wrongdoers in such practices.
Many people - and land officials - used to take for granted that it`s an issue that doesn`t need much attention, eventually converting it into a routine business.
In the late 1980s a portion of Karume Primary school, Magomeni area in Kinondoni District in Dar es Salaam was carved off by a developer for uses other than educational, yet he was left scot free and allowed to forge ahead with his project.
A similar scenario took place at Jangwani Secondary school where a developer constructed a car sales yard at the school ground in a cloudy manner.
None of the school authorities could tell as to how the developer got the permit for his project when confronted by the press for comments.
In less than a month`s time the same after the Tabata saga, a similar incident was experienced at Boko village on the northern outskirts of the city where a developer emerged from the blues and demanded eviction of people living there, claiming the plot was his.
This time however occupants have decided to fight the decision all out unless they are compensated before they are moved to another place, an exercise which seems to be far from being successful.
The problem of double allocations has a bitter taste for victims.
It defeats the widely propagated policy of constructing low cost houses.
In the Tabata demolition exercise, the government has to use 800m/- which has not been budgeted for, to compensate 96 house owners.
This money would have otherwise been used for development activities, had officials been keen enough in performing their duties.
Probably it`s about time the government acted seriously to control the situation.
The vice needs to be fought on all fronts. It can be done; play your part.
|
