AZE.US
Azerbaijan’s Milli Majlis approved in its first reading on Oct. 27 a bill that would expand the grounds for acquiring land for metro, railway and tram construction. At the same session, a lawmaker separately proposed uniform, public rules for calculating compensation to property owners.
The proposed amendments cover the Civil Code and the Law on the Acquisition of Land for State Needs. The measure has not yet completed the legislative process and is not final law.
Under the bill published by the Milli Majlis, land needed to build or install tunnels, including metro tunnels, as well as railway, metro and tram lines would be classified as serving state needs. The same classification would apply to land required for the construction or expansion of railway, metro and tram stations and depots.
The legislation would amend Article 157.9 of the Civil Code and Article 3 of the land-acquisition law. It is linked to Azerbaijan’s 2025-2030 program for developing transport infrastructure in Baku and surrounding areas, which calls for new and modernized lines, stations and depots.
Separate Proposal on Compensation
Zahid Oruj, chairman of parliament’s Human Rights Committee, urged the Cabinet of Ministers to establish publicly accessible criteria for calculating compensation for homes and other real estate affected by demolition. His recommendations are a separate parliamentary proposal and are not provisions already approved in the bill.
Oruj said the rules should specify valuation methods, the use of market prices, geographic coefficients and a mechanism for revising payments to reflect inflation and construction costs.
He also proposed standards for replacement housing, including its size, number of rooms and quality, as well as delivery deadlines and accountability for delays. For disputed cases, he called for independent measurements, photographic and electronic documentation, mandatory mediation and expedited court review.
The proposal would distinguish between unauthorized extensions built after a demolition announcement and homes that families have occupied for decades but have been unable to formally register for technical reasons.
The first-reading vote marks a new stage for the transport-related land-acquisition bill. The proposed unified compensation system, however, remains a lawmaker’s recommendation rather than an enacted rule.
Source: Vesti Baku; Milli Majlis.