Residents force halt to work on road

GARDEZ (Pajhwok): Residents of the Ahmadabad district of southeastern Paktia province on Friday said they had stopped work on a substandard road project in the area.

The 15-kiolometre road links the district with the Machalghai dam, but work on the project lacks quality. The project is estimated to cost 23 million afghanis.

But Haji Rahim, a dweller of the district, told Pajhwok Afghan News the project had been awarded to a sub-contractor for four million afghanis.

In line with the original plan, the road is six metres wide, according to the resident, who alleged that the width had been reduced to six metres at certain points. 

Culverts and retaining walls had been omitted from the project, he claimed, pledging they would not allow anyone to plunder the nation’s wealth.

Another local, Nazaruddin, confirmed work on the project was inconsistent with the proposal. The contractor would not be allowed to resume work as long as the road was not built according to the plan, he said.

Deputy Governor Abdul Wali Sahi said private-sector experts had been assigned with evaluating the project’s quality. Corruption in construction of the road would not be tolerated, he promised.

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