Shafaq News/ Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani on Sunday established a committee to address land acquisition challenges for the "Development Road" project, a press release by his bureau said on Sunday.
The committee, according to the press release, will focus on preparing land registry maps, verifying ownership and legal status of properties along the route, and facilitating their acquisition by the Ministry of Transport.
The committee will comprise representatives from relevant government agencies including the General Railways Corporation, Real Estate Directorate, General Survey Authority, Agricultural Lands Directorate, General Municipalities Directorate, and Roads and Bridges Directorate, the press release added.
Prime Minister al-Sudani also ordered the committee to address requirements outlined during a ministerial meeting of the quadripartite committee formed under a memorandum of understanding between Iraq, Turkey, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.
Originally conceived in the 1980s, and then known as the "Dry Canal" corridor, the $17 billion Development Road project envisions the construction of approximately 1,200km of two-way rail tracks and a new motorway, stretching from al-Faw in Basrah to the Turkish border in the north. This route traverses Basrah, al-Diwaniyah, Najaf, Karbala, Baghdad, and Mosul, establishing a land corridor that connects Baghdad and Ankara.
Since taking office in October 2022, al-Sudani has been a vigorous champion of the Development Road, regarding it as a pivotal driver for Iraq’s economic progress, for bolstering the nation’s global market linkages, and for generating new sources of revenue and job creation. During the May 2023 Arab League summit in Jeddah and during visits by al-Sudani to the UAE and Turkiye, Iraqi officials lobbied for the project. That month, Baghdad hosted a conference to introduce the Development Road to transport ministers and officials from regional countries and seek their backing. Al-Sudani highlighted the project’s significance as a "pillar for a sustainable, non-oil economy, and a link that serves Iraq’s neighbors and the region."