NEILI (PAN): Residents of Daikundi while complaining about the unfair utilization of rehabilitation program demanded the government to immediately initiate development projects for the welfare of common people of the neglected province.
However, provincial authorities claimed rehabilitation work worth $60 million was underway elsewhere in the province including the rebuilding of Daikundi Air Port.
Neili is a small city where most of government infrastructure cannot be built and the city does not present a look of a provincial capital. Rehabilitation projects are also cannot be seen in the province, they complained.
The locals said most of the roads were unpaved while they were facing acute shortage of health, electricity and education facilities.
The roads of Daikundi were in dilapidated condition, which could not be built after 1980.
Daikundi and Panjsher were awarded status of provinces some nine years ago; however, Daikundi residents severely criticized the concerned authorities for unequal distribution of rehabilitation projects in the province as compared to Panjsher.
Ahmadullah Aymani, a social activist from Daikundi told Pajhowk Afghan News Panjsher had been more developed than Dikundi, adding that the former had asphalted roads and advance infrastructure with enhanced projects of common welfare.
Daikundi had long and wide rivers. Its people were facing difficulties while crossing the rivers as there were no bridges with the province facing lack of development projects, they added.
People of urban and city localities of Daikundi complained that rehabilitation projects were disbursed unfairly, adding that the province had been left deprived in terms of progress.
Daikundi Governor Abdul Haq Shafaq said people were not benefited from the rehabilitation work, adding that the province had not even a single kilometre graveled road.
The newly elected governor said agriculture sector was facing immense problems, adding that as many as 36 health sectors schemes were not functioning due to lack of resources.
Around 60% construction work of provincial government departments had been completed and people’s economy had been bolstered through national solidarity program (NSP) in the province, he remarked.
He said the constructed provincial government departments included department of women affairs, police security department, department of national security and provincial judiciary.
In addition, 1,100 projects worth $60 million had been initiated with the help of national solidarity program, and 800 of them were small and large scale projects, which would help benefit the people in the near future.
He said more than 100 kilometre road was expected to be constructed in the coming year from Neili city to the district capital of Shahristan district which would help resolve transport related problems of the residents.
It would be the first ever asphalted road in the province once it was constructed, he said, adding the construction work on Daikundi airport was under way and the facility would be ready for aircrafts landing and taking off.
Besides the implementation of development work, residents complained about electricity, old agriculture system, education without infrastructure and unavailability of basic facilities.
Problem of people could not be resolved despite President Hamid Karzai’s repeated directions to the ministers.
Last year, President Hamid Karzai issued an ordinance directing his ministers to visit different provinces in order to problems of people for strengthening the government but the relevant quarters ignored the presidential orders.
Following orders of president, the minister of transport and public work department visited Daikundi province in order to find out the basic problems of residents but people said that the visits by the minister did not yield any positive outcome.
Hadi Rahim Zada, member of provincial council said Minister of Public Work Department promised the construction of 10 kilometres road and extension of airport during his visit but he would yet materialize his pledges.
Mohammad Naeem, member of a civil society organization said residents were facing immense troubles while traveling on the road from Takhat Bander to Neili city, adding the road was expected to be constructed earlier based on second grad quality.
He told Pajhwok Afghan News that the construction company left the work in the middle due to unknown reasons; hence the traffic problems had been increased.
The Public Work authorities were of the opinion that the purpose of minister visit to the province was to assess the problems of residents closely but his visit was a futile attempt.
The Ministry of Public Work department promised highways would be constructed in the province which would connect Daikundi with other provinces.
According to the concerned ministry, the asphalting work of 25 kilometres road towards Qonaq tunnel would start in the coming year.
The Ministry of Public Work said Daikundi was put on part of a future master plan, which would witness large scale construction, development works and asphalted roads.