Surveying and Expansion Commission
The Surveying and Expansion Commission was a commission formed by the government of Kurum Ash-Sharqia in 1726 AN. Its main objective was to colonize the Green.
Political background
After the 1724 general election, the All Corum Congress Party (A.C.C.P.) entered Al-Majlis Al-Watani with 5 seats. The party's main aims were reunification with New Batavia and expansion of Kurum Ash-Sharqia into the Green. The party felt that since secession Kurum Ash-Sharqia lagged behind economically compared to New Batavia.
Cabinet formation was extremely difficult. In the end, A.C.C.P. agreed to support an IPP-led minority cabinet, in return for an expansion of Kurum Ash-Sharqia into the Green.
Tasks and leadership
The Surveying and Expansion Commission was formed on 1726-08. Zahra Ayari was appointed as its leader.
Its main tasks were:
- to prepare an expansion Westbound and Northbound
- to look for ideal places to settle, taking agriculture, waterways, etc. into consideration
- to make proposals for the foundation of governorates, cities, towns and their respective toponymy
- to look for raw materials
- to make an inventory of possible economic opportunities
- to make contact with people living in the Green and to assess if and what negotiations may be necessary.
1727 budget increase
In 1727 AN Zahra Ayari asked for a significant increase of the budget. She claimed she was short of personnel, both engineers, land surveyors and security personnel. She also needed more leverage for the negotiations with the current residents in the Green. Al-Majlis Al-Watani agreed to raising the budget.
1730 report and recommendations
In 1730 AN Zahra Ayari submitted her report to the cabinet. Her main recommendations were:
- To expand up to the 100th logitude
- To grant citizenship to all residents of the new territories upon request
- To organize large scale voluntary integration and language courses
- To have treaties with the Bani Batir and the Bani Laman
- To create a total of 5 new governorates
- To develop Laman into a seaport
- To found two garrison towns near the new border
- To found a market town and city in the central plains
Treaties with stateless tribes
There were several stateless people living in the Green. With two larger settlements, it was decided that treaties were necessary to create goodwill in these settlements for the expansion:
- With the Bani Batir, around the settlement of Kabyk
- With the Bani Laman, around the settlement of Laman
