By GIDEON NYENDWA
HOUSES built in the Forest 27 cannot be demolished because it was legally degazetted, Patriotic Front (PF) presidential hopeful, Brian Mundubile has said.
Mr Mundubile said the reason why the UPND made a fuss about Forest 27 when they were in the opposition was because they thought that only PF members acquired plots but discovered that some of their members also did.
He said this when he was reacting to the demolition of over 300 houses that were illegally built at Kasompe Airstrip.
Mr Mundubile said the issue of land at Kasompe Airstrip could not be compared to Forest 27 because the land was legally degazetted.
He said the degazzeting process was a very lengthy process because studies had to be carried out by looking at environmental impact assessment.
Mr Mundubile said experts went on the ground for the assessment and gave reports to the commissioner of lands and a report was given to the president before he degazetted that land.
He said Forest 27 was very vast and that the forest might have natural water storages but the part of the forest that was degazetted was properly assessed by experts.
But Mr Mundubile said the demolition of houses in Chingola was inhumane and was done without putting a lot into consideration.
He said what the government would have done before demolishing was to go on the ground and look at the interests of people who had land there.
Mr Mundubile said that another thing that needed to be put into consideration was what that particular land was being used for before making any decision.
“That airstrip has not been used for a long time,” he said.
He also said that it was not like the people there just encroached on that land, they bought it from someone who sits in the council.
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