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“Within four years all the governmental ministries will be shifted to Dar-ul-Aman. Practical work on the project will start next year. Cities grew irregularly during the past 14 years, which is why jobs couldn’t be created according to the demand,” said President Ashraf Ghani
By Akhtar M.Nikzad-KABUL: President Ashraf Ghani directed concerned departments to retake the usurped lands an warned that state land usurpation must end as soon as possible in other words the usurpers will face stern legal actions.
Speaking at the second National Urban Development Conference, on Sunday, Ghani said that usurpation of state-owned lands in urban areas is a biggest challenge.
He issued the directives to the concerned ministry, departments, and officials to expedite the retaking drive against the usurpers.
Ghani said that most of the cities grew irregularly with an irregular infrastructure and lost the affectivity because job opportunities couldn’t be produced. He said that townships were built only for residential purposes during the past 14 years while lacking standard services for the general public whereas urban areas are an engine of producing job opportunities.
He pointed out in coming four years all the governmental ministries will be shifted to Dar-ul- Aman. He added practical work on the project will next year.
Ghani alleged the previous government was incompetent to spend 50 percent of its development budget for developing national economy. He also alleged the incompetence caused loss of billions of dollars.
Sayed Sadat Mansoor Naderi, the Minister of Urban Development Affairs (MUDA) said that 70 percent of the city has irregular developments while based on an evaluation report within 16 years the urban population will increase two-fold, which will cause several challenges. Touching upon the plans the ministry intends to launch, Naderi said that MUDA has devised urban development programs including national urban plan, reformation of urban management and a stern war on corruption.
Special Representative of the President of Afghanistan on Reform and Good Governance, Ahmad Zia Massoud, on the occasions said that lack of fundamental infrastructures in rural areas pushes people on migrating to cities, which is why cities are growing irregularly that creates problems in job market.
He urged that government to expand industries along with townships so that job opportunities could be created. An economic affairs analyst, Ahmad Jan, slammed the government and said that people didn’t witness any major development program by the government as it spent its energies only holding conferences and mere lip service.
