KONDUZ (PAN): The residents of volatile Kunduz demanded the government and international community to help improve deteriorating security, explore job opportunities, accelerate reconstruction process and build overall infrastructure of the province.
Mohammad Yousuf Ayubi, member of Kunduz Provincial Council said his province had been ignored in terms of distribution and implementation of development projects.
He said a number of development projects were implemented during the reign of Sardar Mohammad Dawood including construction of dam and water supply schemes, adding but no big development projects could be initiated during the current government.
“Some projects have been done during the last decade but still many problems of the people including uplift projects need to be addressed,” he added.
He said unpaved roads of Dasht Archi and Qala-e-Zal were a constant source of trouble for the locals, which should be graveled without further delay.
Growing insecurity in some parts of the province was hampering progress and reconstruction process,” he said, adding if the province had bolstered security then development projects would have completed so far.
“If the province has security then there would have more employment opportunities and more investment. We cannot establish factories to eliminate unemployment because of insecurity,” he added.
He went on to say boosting of security and eliminating of unemployment were major demands of the people.
Mohammad Sabir, a resident of Konduz said unemployment could be eliminated and peace could be achieved by bringing some sort of improvement in agricultural system with establishment of factories.
Mohammad Sabir said: “A large number of youth are working in foreign countries to feed their families back at their home country because of lack of employment opportunities and deteriorated security.”
Mohammad Ayub, another resident of Kunduz city requested the local authorities should provide youth with job opportunities, education facilities and develop their area.
Ayub, a second year student of law at Kunduz University said low salaries of teaching staff, lack of textbooks and rising fee in private schools and private universities were hampering education of the province.
Noor Bakhsh, a student of Shirkhan High School said the concerned authorities should provide facilities for the students of getting higher education at home. He said ineligible and inefficient people were recruited in the education sector, which negatively impacted the vital sector.
He demanded the practice of recruitment by trampling merit policy should be stopped forthwith.
Farmers’ community of the province demanded the agriculture sector was needed to be upgraded on modern lines to bolster the crop.
Zarif Bhai, a farmer in Char Dara District agriculture was the main sector of revenue generation for the people of the province, adding repair and renovation of irrigation system was necessary, which would help doubled the crop.
The fast- decreasing irrigation water was yet another problem being confronted by the farmers of the province, he said, demanding immediate construction of dams to overcome the water shortage issue,” he remarked.
“The farmers in Char Dara District are alarmed by the rising level of waters. They request the government to strengthen the Chahar Dara river banks,” he added
He said rise in the water level of the river damaged properties and crops of the locals with the Amu River also caused great destruction of agricultural lands, orchards and culverts.
Kunduz is largely known as one of the northeastern provinces with majority of its dwellers depends on their agriculture and livestock. The residents said the government should focus to develop the agriculture, education, women issues, rural development and health sectors, which would go a long way to put far-reaching positive impact on the local’s as well as country’s economy.