‘Submit views’ via Bunge team about amendments

       Lands, Housing and Human Settlements Development minister William Lukuvi      

What you need to know:

That was said by Lands, Housing and Human Settlements Development minister William Lukuvi here yesterday.

        Dar es Salaam. Tanzanians have been told that still they can submit their views on amending the 1999 Land Act.

That was said by Lands, Housing and Human Settlements Development minister William Lukuvi here yesterday.

He was responding to concerns raised by the Tanganyika Law Society (TLS) and the Tanzania Private Sector Foundation (TPSF) on the amendments.

The two complained that they were not involved in drafting the Bill to amend Chapter 113, Section 45 of the 1999 Land Act.

“Anyone, who has views should submit them to the Parliamentary Committee for Land, Natural Resources and Environment so that they can work on it,” said Mr Lukuvi.

TLS and TPSF poked holes into some sections of the proposed amendments.

TPSF has written a letter to the government urging it to immediately withdraw amendments to Land Act No 4 of 1999 due to lack of thorough participation by all stakeholders.

Sources told The Citizen that the private sector felt that some clauses were inserted into the draft amendments, which if left to pass, they would be detrimental to the economy.

The private sector is concerned with the introduction of sections 120A, 120B and 120C to the Land Act No 4 of 1999 that say bank loans taken by using undeveloped or underdeveloped land as collateral should only be used to develop those specific pieces of land. Failure to do so will result in the revocation of the right of occupancy by the President.

The new sections also say the money obtained from loans whose security is land cannot be spent in investments outside the country and that no foreign bank can be given land as collateral in loans advanced to its customers.