Key projects executed in Khost last year: Naeemi

KHOST CITY (Pajhwok): The acting governor on Monday said a number of key reconstruction and infrastructure development projects were completed last year in southeastern Khost province, improving government’s writ, security and stability.

Abdul Jabbar Naeemi told Pajhwok Afghan News during an interview that 168 important reconstruction projects were executed and put into service at a cost of 1.7 billion afghanis.

The projects include big and small bridges, roads, buildings for schools and government offices, healthcare centres, a portion of the Khost-Gardez highway, retaining walls and other similar projects.

Naeemi said the projects were implemented in the provincial capital, Khost City, and all districts. Besides the government, a number of various donor and charity organizations had funded the schemes, he said.

The major fund contributors included the United States Agency for International Development (USAID Bank, Germany, India and others, the acting governor said.

“Thousands of youth were engaged on the projects that now benefit the masses,” he said, adding implementation of the schemes helped narrow the gap between the government and the people. “People’s trust in the government has increased with these projects that also contributed to bringing stability and ensuring good governance.”

He said people’s trust in the government increased in areas where they were provided all basic facilities of life. The projects completed last year directly benefitted local populations, he said.

Naeemi said they were able to provide many facilities to the people of Khost as a result of good relations with donor countries and local elders’ cooperation.

He said work on another 499 big reconstruction and small development projects was underway and 90 percent of work on most of these projects had been completed.

These projects include reconstruction of the Khost-Ghulam Khan road, other roads, bridges, buildings for schools, health clinics, government departments, retaining walls, canals, playgrounds and others.

Naeemi said the under-construction projects would cost four billion afghanis, with big donors including USAID, the US government, the World Bank, Germany and India.

“These projects are the most important part of our five-year strategic plan which is aimed to resolve Khost problems and develop the province. Tens of thousands of youth are engaged on these projects,” he said.

He said people extended full cooperation to the government in executing uplift projects and not a single project had ever faced any security threat.

“Though there were some problems in awarding contracts for these projects, our oversight team has been able to ensure that good quality work is maintained.”

The completed and under-construction projects also included those funded under the Rural Rehabilitation and Development Ministry’s National Solidarity Programme (NSP), Naeemi said.

Still there was a great need for more such projects to mitigate people’s problems and provide them with more facilities, the governor said.

Naeemi said all Khost departments had jointly worked out a plan based on demands agreed with the unity government and the plan for 2014-2015 had been sent to central capital Kabul.

He said they were also tracking promises President Ghani held out to the people and government departments of Khost during a video conference.

“All provincial departments have been tasked with sharing people’s problems with the ministries concerned based on the president’s promises.”

He said imported electricity, international airport and buildings for justice and judicial and other public departments in districts and some other important projects were part of the next year’s plan.

He said if implemented, the new projects would further secure and stablise Khost province by narrowing the gap between the government and the people.

The governor urged high-ranking government officials and the National Security Council that the implementation of projects in Khost should not face any delay or hurdle. He also asked construction companies to focus on quality work.

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