Buzovna residents succeeded in self-liquidation of illegal fence by the sea

Baku/12.05.22/Turan: Seyfulla Azer, a public activist and organizer of Buzovna residents' environmental protection movement, posted photos on the social network proving that one of the owners of seaside villas has removed the fence that blocked citizens' access to the sea.

When asked by Turan: Was it the demand of the local authorities fulfilling the public demand, or has the owner removed it himself? - Azer replied: The owner himself opened access to the sea. Other fences illegally blocking access to the sea still remain.

Recall that on May 8 residents of Apsheron village of Buzovna held their second public cleanup day on the Caspian shore in a month, collecting household rubbish and removing it from the territory where Buzovna residents traditionally reside.

In addition to cleaning the beach, a second objective of the residents of the settlement was to demand from the local and central authorities the removal of illegally built fences that block residents' access to the sea. On the Buzovna coast, large areas are closed to the public by owners of private houses built near the sea.

On 1 May, the organiser of the clean-up day, Azer Seyfulla, appealed via youtube to the President of Azerbaijan, bringing to his attention the villagers' request to bring order to the Caspian coast. According to the Housing Code, the Law on Urban Planning and Architecture, construction within 20-50 metres of sea water is prohibited in Azerbaijan.  However, the laws are violated everywhere.

Elbek Alizadeh, an activist and resident of the village, told Turan that the Khazar region executive power has not responded to the appeal; just one dacha owner has released a five-metre strip from the water. The entire strip between the "Mirvari" and "Sea Side" restaurants is a large area with difficult rocky terrain, a beautiful outdoor recreation area taken over by the dacha owners.

"We intend to appeal to the regional prosecutor's office to clarify the legality of the seaside land grabbing in the Buzovna settlement," he told Turan.

On 7 May "Turan news agency" sent a request to the "Khazar region" department about actions of district authorities on the elimination of lawlessness on the coast as mentioned in the video message to President Ilham Aliyev by Buzovna residents.  No answer has been given yet.

The active civic position of a small part of Buzovna settlement residents attracted media attention to the problem of the seized coastal territories. Two Azerbaijani TV channels filmed stories about the clean-up day and the residents' demand.  The same illegal fences blocking the access to the sea can be found in other coastal villages: Nabran, Nardaran, Bilgah... On the social network, under information about the Buzovna clean-up, there were many comments from residents of other Absheron villages. -0-