Government warns against public land encroachment along M1 road

The Malawi Government through the Ministry of Lands has advised developers who intend to encroach public land and construct structures along M1 road to observe the Road Reserve Boundaries (RRB), or risk loss of property.

Speaking in an interview with the Malawi News Agency (MANA), Commissioner for Physical Planning in the Ministry of Lands, Robins Lukasi, said the encroachment of public land along the M1 Road is prohibited.

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He urged developers to respect and observe road reserve boundaries to avoid clashes with government land law enforcement agencies.

Lukasi emphasized that developers must maintain a 30-meter distance from their construction sites to the main road to allow the government to preserve public land for future road projects.

He further stated that the government is implementing various initiatives to protect public land, including public sensitisation on compliance with land laws and the introduction of new land-related legislation.

He warned that any form of encroachment on public land will not be tolerated.

Aubrey Sitole, a developer who initially constructed a structure beyond the road reserve boundary but later reversed the decision after being approached by land law enforcers, appealed to the public and fellow developers to follow his example.

He urged them to abide by the law by respecting road reserve boundaries to avoid property loss and prevent accidents along the M1 corridor.