Bill Offering Free Arctic Land Goes Before the Government
A draft bill, submitted to the government for review by the Ministry for the Development of the Russian Far East and Arctic, would entitle Russian citizens to receive plots of land in the country's Arctic region for free, to build homes or pursue whatever economic activity they see fit, TASS reports.
6 октября 2020The bill introduces a set of amendments to an existing law offering free hectares of land in Russia's Far East. It is envisaged that, in the first 6 months after the law comes into force, only registered residents of the administrative regions and municipalities covered by the programme will be entitled to receive plots of land at no cost, whereafter the privilege will be extended to every Russian citizen and every member of the National Programme for the Promotion of the Voluntary Resettlement to the Russian Federation of Fellow Russians Residing Abroad.
'In the Russian Arctic, which is home to 2.5 million, 90% of the population are urban residents, mostly living in large cities like Murmansk, Arkhangelsk and Norilsk. The land around the cities will be sought-after for the construction of private housing and for enterprise', said Alexander Krutikov, Deputy Minister for the Development of the Russian Far East and Arctic (quoted from the Ministry's website).
Plots of land with a size of up to 1 hectare will be granted for a period of 5 years, whereafter the tenant will be expected to secure full title or a long-term lease. The land will be available for the construction of housing or any form of enterprise such as farming or services, including hospitality.
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