Land Management Department: Over 800 applications for land plots have been received in the Vitebsk region since the beginning of the year

Since the beginning of the year, over 800 applications have been received from citizens and legal entities regarding the provision of land plots in the Vitebsk region. This was reported to journalists by Igor Levenkov, Head of the Land Management Department of the Regional Executive Committee.

The Head of the Department recalled that new land legislation came into force in the country at the beginning of the year. Its nuances were explained in advance to citizens, rural councils, and district executive committees, so applications for land plots began to be received from the start of the year. He also noted that the current legislation allows for the allocation of land plots to a wide range of the population. Since the beginning of the year, over 800 applications from citizens and legal entities have been received regarding the provision of land plots – for the construction of production facilities, residential buildings, personal subsidiary farming, and other purposes.

"The adoption of the law has had a certain effect, and citizens, understanding that there is an opportunity to obtain land today, have become more active in applying. Our task is to promptly carry out this process. We will strive to ensure that citizens have fewer questions regarding land and to provide as many land plots as possible," said Igor Levenkov.

Last year, during land inventory in the Vitebsk region, approximately 11,000 land plots were identified as being used in violation of land legislation. The relevant authorities took response measures, sending notifications to individuals to allow them to legalise the occupied land or vacate it. Most often, residents erected structures or fences on such territories without authorisation or occupied plots for growing agricultural products. The second stage of the inventory will continue this year.

Overall, the department notes a general decrease in citizens' appeals regarding land use issues. This is happening gradually from year to year. "In 2022, thanks to the work of our local structural divisions and the regional department, we managed to reduce the number of citizens' appeals. Not significantly, but this trend exists. We will continue to strive to reduce the number of citizens' appeals while ensuring that issues are resolved locally," emphasized Igor Levenkov. "Appeals mainly concern land disputes and issues of unauthorized occupation of land plots. As a rule, disputes arise not due to violations of land legislation, but precisely due to relationships between neighbors. It turns out that the land is not to blame, but a person starts corresponding with the authorities." The head of the department added that last year, 122 appeals concerning land disputes were considered in the region, of which about 4% were of regional level.

Employees of the land management and cartographic-geodetic service of Belarus will celebrate their professional holiday on February 21st. Today, a meeting was held in Vitebsk, where the Chairman of the State Property Committee, Dmitry Matusevich, congratulated the region's specialists, thanked them for their conscientious work, and presented certificates of honor and commendations to the best among them.

Source: vitebsk-region.gov.by