
Over the past 40 years, Egypt has lost half a million feddans to encroachments
This announcement came in a statement issued on Sunday by the Minister of Local Development, Hesham Amna.
According to the ministry's statement, the recent reclamations and demolitions occurred after the commencement of the first phase of wave 22 of the campaign to remove encroachments on state lands and agricultural lands, which started from 27 January to 3 February. The second phase of wave 22 will last until 12 April.
The campaign is being launched in compliance with the directives of the political leadership to intensify the state's efforts to address the phenomenon of encroachment on state properties, agricultural lands, and unauthorized construction to preserve the rights of the state and future generations.
During the current wave, Beheira Governorate ranked first in the number of removal cases for unauthorized buildings on state properties, reclaiming 77,000 square metres after the removal of 468 unauthorized buildings. Qena Governorate came next, reclaiming over 52,000 square metres after removing 119 buildings. Aswan Governorate came third, reclaiming over 42,000 square metres after removing 79 buildings.
In November, the House of Representatives approved legislation on forgiving certain building violations and curbing violations on agricultural land.
Such amendments allow the Ministry of Agriculture to submit proposals to the prime minister recommending the forgiveness of construction work carried out in designated agricultural areas.
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