500 plots set aside
Kirkuk health workers protest delay in land distribution
KIRKUK — Health sector employees in Kirkuk staged a protest on Tuesday, demanding the distribution of land parcels promised to them in 2021 following a decision by the Iraqi Council of Ministers.
Moayad Al-Araji, a representative of the protesters, said [Council of Ministers’] decision 419 of 2021 allocated 500 plots of land to health workers in Kirkuk, but only 150 have been distributed thus far.
The Ministry of Planning allocated the land based on predetermined criteria, but the Kirkuk Municipality reportedly has faced challenges in distributing the remaining parcels, including property ownership disputes with other government entities and a scarcity of vacant land. A number of other departments and directorates, including the municipality itself, reportedly also have not received their land allotments.
Sherzad Tahir, a health worker with 34 years of service, emphasized the urgency of the matter: “I urge the authorities to expedite the distribution of the remaining land plots.”
Municipal officials acknowledged the delay but assured progress was being made. Ahmed Omar Zangana, the Director of Kirkuk Municipality, stated, “We have distributed 150 plots and plan to distribute another 250 soon. We have approval from the Kirkuk administration to resolve the distribution of the remaining 100 plots within this year.”
The method of land distribution follows a point system prioritizing individuals with the most service years, those who have not previously received land parcels, and wounded employees — a category that includes individuals injured while serving alongside Peshmerga and other Iraqi forces against ISIS, as well as those injured during work accidents or incidents while on duty.