Mosul provincial council votes to lift building restrictions around the city

MOSUL, Iraq — The Mosul Provincial Council unanimously approved a package of decisions lifting longstanding building restrictions on land surrounding the city. Under the measures, municipalities are required to issue construction permits without delay to citizens who hold title deeds for their plots. The council also ordered municipal directorates to begin land-leveling work on qualifying plots within 30 days, and directed the Mosul Municipality to remove a security berm around the city that was built by ISIS during the group's control of the area. The council framed the restrictions as illegal under the constitution and existing law, saying they had been used to prevent construction on the basis of demographic change. Mosul's police director was tasked with establishing a joint commission to receive citizens' complaints and monitor implementation of the decisions. The building restrictions around the city have for years been linked to the security berms and other measures introduced during the ISIS era, according to the source reporting the council's action.