Casablanca Land Probe: Officials Investigate Industrial Zone Profiteering and Abandoned Plots

Territorial officials have been instructed to reopen technical and engineering files related to industrial zones in Casablanca, focusing on two industrial zones in the provinces of Nouaceur and Berrechid, which are the subject of a significant number of complaints, report sources to Hespress. Their task is to examine in detail the decisions to refuse changes in activity issued by the Urban Agency of the Casablanca-Settat region, concerning industrial land located in areas classified as service and diverse activity spaces. Several investors, who benefited from land at symbolic prices to build factories in their area of specialty, have tried to change the initial purpose of these lands by investing in other sectors more profitable for them, the same sources emphasized.

The central services of the Ministry of Interior have also instructed territorial officials to verify the compliance of competent administrative services with the provisions of Law 102.21 relating to industrial zones, which stipulates the obligation to include in the sale or rental contracts of parcels or structures built in industrial zones, a commitment to develop the parcel or property within a defined timeframe, accompanied by sanctions in case of non-compliance by the investor, including contract termination. They must also carefully examine applications for building permits for private schools and clinics, used as a pretext to artificially raise the value of "industrial land" on the market, due to the high profitability of these investments.

Furthermore, walis are invited to fully exercise their competencies, particularly in the context of investment protection. It is up to them to handle complaints related to blocked or refused projects or authorization requests, due to problems linked to industrial land, especially in the Casablanca-Settat region. They must resolve a large number of files in coordination with the officials of the Regional Investment Center and the Urban Agency.

Responding to questions from deputies during a previous oral question session at the House of Representatives, Ryad Mezzour, Minister of Industry and Trade, stated that his department is seeking to recover industrial land unused by their beneficiaries in new industrial zones and old industrial districts, through legal means. According to his explanations, speculation is a direct cause of dysfunctions related to this type of land. The minister also insisted that the distribution of these lands was done based on specifications containing restrictions preventing their use for other purposes or their non-exploitation for long periods for speculative purposes.