CHIGHCHARAN (PAN): Officials and residents of the volatile Ghor province have conflicting opinions with regard of implementation of reconstruction projects being done in the province.
“We need asphalted roads. Dams should be constructed and supply of potable water should be ensured,” residents said.  
Ghor Governor Sayyed Anwar Rahmati says reconstruction process had implemented throughout the province during the current years.
As many as 15 kilometres road had been asphalted in Chighcharan, capital center of Ghor, two Kilometres airport road had been graveld and government offices’ buildings had been built, he added.
He went on to say that the construction of 80 % of government buildings had been completed. Only the offices of environment and economy departments and the building of seven districts had yet to be constructed.
Most solidarity projects had been implemented and the people were satisfied with projects because most of the schemes had considerably improved the living standard of the masses.
“Unfortunately, infrastructure projects have helped generated job opportunities cannot be implemented in the province,” he acknowledged.
The yet to be constructed Herat- Kabul road project was of paramount importance and the basic problem of the people. The roads are not asphalted and the people used to travel by facing multiple problems.
Fazlul Haq Ihsan, head of provincial council while coming hard on the government said the government failed to implemented remarkable reconstruction projects. According to him, no basic work has been done and only small projects have been implemented in the province that the people are not satisfied with.
Ihsan says the government hasn’t taken balance and justice in implementing projects of various natures in Ghor. The people of Ghor demanded of the government to implement infrastructure projects such as supply of electricity and construction of roads, demanded the government to asphalt the Herat-Ghor road to resolve the long standing demand of the people.
The chairman of provincial council says: “The living condition of Ghor people have been changed with the projects.”
 
Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) in Ghor failed to do remarkable work in the field of reconstruction, but Japan has had a major role in construction is laudable. Japan has contributed assistance of around $90,000 for development and welfare projects during the current year which benefited thousands of people.
The fund will be spent on construction of two clinics, two schools, one small hydroelectric project in Dulaina and Chahar Sada districts, surrounding wall of female teacher college dormitory and construction of Legal Centre of Human Rights Commission in Chaghcharan.
The deputy of Japan Embassy in Kabul, after signing the contract of the projects said construction work on the projects would be completed by the end of 2013. The civilian section of Japan Embassy has extended assistance worth $50 million in the field of education, health, communication and other public welfare projects in Ghor since 2009.
Authorities in Ghor said that the Lithuanian PRT activities were weak and they have implemented no construction projects in the province.
The Lithuanian PRT launched their activities in 2005 and they left the province after handing over security responsibilities to Afghan security forces this year. Fazlul Haq Nijat, former acting governor of Ghor says Lithuania is a small country that’s why its PRT was very weak.
According to him, the international community should have deployed a PRT that could manage implementing reconstruction projects and resolve problems of Nejat. He said: “Ghor needed a team that should have had developed equipments.”
Khan Mohammad Sailab, a resident of Chighcharan says that the government failed to pay heed to develop the Ghor province. The international community has deployed a weak PRT in the province.
He complained not a single action has been taken in the field of reconstruction and no changes seen in the living condition of the people.
Sailab said: “Despite the cooperation of people with the government, neither dams are constructed nor roads are asphalted in the province. Majority of people have no access to healthcare services.”
 
People of Ghor have staged protests three times including children and women for three long days. They demanded the government to provide the province with electricity and other facilities.
During the month of October, hundreds of individuals including civil societies lit candles along the Hari Rud River at night and demanded the construction of the dam in the province. They were chanting slogans as to (what has happened to your promise! Mr. President? We want electricity. Ghor is dark despite having the famous Hari Rud and Fara Rud Rivers. Nabi Saqi, a civil society activist says, “Not any important infrastructure projects could be been implemented. We have neither electricity nor road. The president had promised to help construct dam ten years ago but he failed to implement his pledge.
He expressed concerns by saying that three famous rivers were flowing through Ghor but the people had no access to electricity. The people use diesel generator to produce electricity which was expensive way to produce power.
Mohammad Gul, another resident of Ghor says he is working daily for 150 Afghanis and he is not able to pay the bill of diesel that he use to generate electricity.
Eng. Mohammad Yasin, chairman of Brishna Company in Ghor said that the main problem of Ghor was absence of accurate power supply network, adding that the existing generator was very old. They will buy a big generator with the capacity of one megawatt that will be installed in a month to provide all Ghor with electricity.
Eng. Yasin says, problems of people will be resolved temporarily but the government should build a dam to resolve the problem on permanent basis.