Land Rights and Wrongs in Tajik South

Plots of land are in short supply in mountainous Tajikistan, and especially so in the densely-populated Khatlon region in the south.

Some 7,500 people applied for land plots in Khatlon in the first three months of 2010. In Bokhtar district, for example, the local authorities say the demand for space is twice the actual about of land available for distribution.

Some residents complain that land is often handed out unfairly, to those with the most clout – money or connections – while those in need are left with nothing. Regional-level officials accept that there has been mismanagement at lower tiers of government and are trying to put this right.

All land in Tajikistan is owned by the state, but there is talk of privatising it

The audio programme, in Russian and Tajik, went out on national radio stations in Tajikistan, as part of IWPR project work funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.