Data Gathered Date: 

Thursday, September 19, 2013 - 09:45

FARAH CITY (PAN): The people of Farah demanded the government to help bolster security, provide electricity, construct dams and build health facilities in the province.
They underlined the need the government should extend its all out support to address the legitimate issues being confronted to the restive region.
Abdul Hamid Hamid, provincial council member of Farah told Pajhwok Afghan News the prime and main demand of the people was that security should be made impregnable.  
Bakwa, gulistan and Balablok districts are among the most insecure districts while Khak Sufaid, Pashtrud and Anar Dara are less insecure but Shibkoh, Kala Kah, Parchman and Jawin districts are considered secured districts. 
Taliban militants staged several high profile attacks inside Farah city and its suburbs.
Sayed Ahmad Baya, defense analyst and resident of Farah city said the region had a strategic location on border areas that’s why’s better equipping the security forces would go a long way to ensure peace in the province.
Because the province shares border with Pakistan and Iran, both the countries interfere in the internal affairs of Farah, he said, adding if the government wanted to tighten security in the province then it should strengthen and bolster the number of security forces.
“There will be chaos in the entire Afghanistan if there is insecurity in Farah,” he added. 
Hamid said building of the entire infrastructure was mandatory to win the favour and support of Farah people.
Work on the transit route has been started between Farah and Iran’s Khurasan province but the construction work could not still be completed, he informed.  He said after the abduction of 12 workers working on the road, the work had been stopped since then.
He said after setting free the 12 kidnapped workers, construction work on the road could not be restarted so far. 
He said the runway of the Farah Airport was in dilapidated condition, which was needed to be repaired on modern lines immediately. 
Shehla Abu Bakr, Farah provincial council member said finance department had approved budget for the repair and reconstruction of Farah provincial hospital but construction work on the hospital could not be initiated.
The construction of Bakhsh Abad Dam in Balablok district is the long standing demand of the people, which would bring economic prosperity to the area, he said, adding but the government did not consider to build the important water reservoir.
He said construction work on the dam was initiated in 2009 but it was halted due to unknown reasons. “The construction of the dam will help generate electricity, provide more irrigation water and bring economic prosperity to the area,” residents said.
Shehla said agreement was inked with a Pakistani Construction Company and work on its designing was underway.
Hayatullah Sadiq, a resident of Farah city demanded authorities should explore measures to provide electricity to the city and districts. He said steps should be taken on short term basis to export electricity from Iran to the Farah city while the construction of Bakhsh Abad Dam was mandatory for a large-term solution to resolve the electricity problem.
He said Farah province was experiencing severe hot waves during summer and people found it difficult to bear the scorching heat without electricity. He said the province had a number of investors interested to invest by establishing factories but the absence of electricity was hampering the direly needed program.
He said investors shifted their wealth out of the country and preferred to invest in Gulf States instead.
Abdul Majid Baya, an elder of Balablok district said cold storage facilities should be established to keep agriculture related products fresh. “Farah is an agriculture province where more than 80 % percent people eke out their livelihood from the agro sector. Drugs related production can be discouraged with the establishment of cold storage facilities. Because of the absence of cold storages, most of the agriculture products go waste or sell on throw away prices,” he informed. 
As per published reports, poppy was cultivated on around 27,700 hectares of land last year in Farah province.  Toryalai Rahi, head of Pusht Rod district’s youth demanded the government should ponder serious steps to create job opportunities for the people. He said jobless youth of the province had joined ranks of armed groups, triggering mayhem and turmoil in the province.
He went on to say manpower of the province used to go to Iran for work but Tehran had adopted strict measures against Afghanis entering Iran.
“We demand the government to take fast-steps to create job opportunities for our youth in an apparent attempt to prevent them from drug use,” he added.
Noor Ahmad Haqbeen, an elder of Khak Sufid district demanded bridges and roads, linking districts with the provincial capital should be constructed to facilitate people.