The demand states four main issues aimed at Ulaanbaatar Mayor Ts. Batbayar and N. Bolormaa, Head of the Citizens Representative Meeting, regarding land deals in which public playgrounds and recreational areas were sold as construction plots.

“We insist that the CRM vote on whether Batbayar and Bolormaa broke the law or not and also instate the Citizens’ Council on land issues as a regulator of CRM works,” O. Erdene-Olzii, leader of the Citizens’ Council said at the CRM meeting.

“Mayor Batbayar broke the resolution from Parliament, an order of the Prime Minister, and decisions of the CRM.”

However the CRM refused to receive their demands during the meeting and stated the Citizen’s Council should talk at the meeting of the working group, which Citizen’s Council members have rejected as fraudulent.

After the CRM Bolormaa stated that land issues not are not her responsibility and that the working group examining the land will decide if the land granting was done within the legal framework of the related laws or not.

“The working group conclusion would be ready by December and the working group is working normally. In total 11 officials are in the working group and half of them are citizens council members while the other half are members of CRM,” Bolormaa said.      

“The working was established on September 27 under the request of citizens who are victims of land granting. The working group’s main goal is examine the documents of permission of the land which breaks the citizens right in particularly the issues of children’s playgrounds and public areas.”

However Citizen Council leaders said thorough investigation has been carried out and the CRM must move forward with more concrete actions.

“We examined 32 land cases in issues in the together with representatives of the CRM and unfortunately all cases have broken the citizens right to live peacefully,” said Erdene Olzii.

“Mayor Batbayar and ex-Mayor M. Enkhbold, now Prime Minister granted those lands to citizens and companies breaking the Constitution.”

Central in the Citizen’s Council cases are education institutions which are loosing school grounds even as enrollment increases.

“Fourth Secondary School’s education square was 1,372 square meters in 2003 and the land was sold to people or companies and now it is only 10 square meters,” said B. Undram, a teacher of the 4^th Secondary School.

“The children of the school have faced many hazards caused by the construction work on our property. The Mayors granted the square of school’s education, green and physical subject’s area to various companies,” Undram said:

L. Naranmandal, a representative of Sukhbaatar District also raised issues regarding a supposed underground parking garage granted by ex-Mayor Enkhbold that later stated it would construct a building above ground too, wiping out a play ground and sitting area for three different apartment buildings.  

“The company started the work without an environment impact detailed assessment and destroyed the play ground of children of three apartments and the elders have nowhere to sit and talk”

“The courts of first instance and appeals decisions were all made in favor of the companies,” Naranmandal said.