Kabul (PAN): People of Maidan Wardak province demand of the government to help develop the entire infrastructure including roads construction, promote agriculture on advanced lines and to repair the Chak power dam.
 
“Agriculture products need to have a proper market. There is dire need of establishment a public university to expand the education activities,” they demand.
    
Mujeeb-u-Rehman, a resident of Qaulak village in Chak district said provincial and central officials had held out promises to upgrade, develop and repair the Chak dam, which would generate enough electricity to meet the demand of the entire district. However, the officials would yet materialize their pledge to repair the dam.
 
Talking to Pajhwok Afghan News, he says: “The government has been promising to serve the community but nothing can be seen on the ground, which can facilitate the masses. Chak dam is the fifth largest reservoir in the province and its construction will help generate enough power to supply to rest of the villages.”
 
However, locals said the matter of tension is that construction work to pave the roads of the district is left halfway. They said the only road leading from Toop to district and Ambo Khap has been asphalted while rests are left uncompleted.    
Another resident of Bambai village in the Chak district said authorities are needed to focus on the development of Sher Khan Hospital.
 
He said Sher Khan Hospital had great contribution in provision of health services; adding but its function received setback and moving very slow because of lack of support by the donors and government.   
 
People of Maidan Wardak mainly eke out livelihood from agriculture, a known profession of the residents. They vehemently demand a market to be established for their products and construction of cold storage facilities to keep their fruits fresh.
 
Khairullah, a farmer in Sayed Abad district said farmers in his locality have their orchards of different fruits but the longstanding problems they confront with, are the absence of a market for their products with zero facilities of cold storage to keep their fruits fresh. These sorts of problems force the farmers to sell their fruits and vegetables in Kabul on throw away prices.   
He told Pajhwok Afghan News: “The apples of Wardak are widely known but traders take advantage of farmers’ compulsions and get their fruits on very low prices.”
 
 
Fazal Karim, a teacher in the district’s school said most of the land is covered by fruit orchards, adding due to unavailability of needed facilities to keep their precious fruits with special reference apples fresh, they sell their fruits on half prices instead of letting them to go rotten.
 
Jaffer, student of faculty of science in Kabul University who hails from Jalrez district said most of the youth in the province are jobless, urging the government to explore measures to send the manpower to foreign countries.   
 
Talking to Pajhwok Afghan News, Jaffer said the level of education is higher in the province as compared to other provinces. Every year, during the Kankor exams--- University passing tests--- hundreds of students achieve no results, which make them discourage and jobless. Its solution is that there should be more technical and vocational institutes to adjust those students who stuck in Kankor exams.
 
The establishment of a government-run university is imperative in the province to multiply educational activities. A government university was approved to be built in the province during the tenure of Halim Fidai, former governor of the province but no one knows about any development in this connection, he added.
 
Muhammad Javed Ahmadi, a resident of Jaghtu district said people of the entire province including his district benefited from the national integration program. He said local militants do not oppose the national integration programs and rather demand the Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development to extend its projects to the war-torn and backward province.
 
Locals say most of the province’s land is being irrigated with the help of karez system, however, shortage of irrigation water left green crops damaged most of the time. They demand construction of small dams that tend to bring revolution in agriculture sector on the one hand while on the other it would leave positive impact on the economy.
 
Wishing not to be named, another farmer told Pajhwok Afghan News Maidan is a poppy-free province and it is imperative for the government to develop the province. The government is needed to extend its all out support to the farmers and help them provide refined seeds, fertilizers and advance agro equipments.
 
“Developed infrastructure, bolstered security and launching of development projects in the province leave direct impact on the situation of other provinces with special reference Kabul. Keeping in view these points, the central government should adopt measures to develop the Maidan Wardak province in greater interest of the country,” he added.