Women’s recreation park opens in Kunduz

KUNDUZ CITY (PAN, the first of its kind, was inaugurated in the capital of northeastern Kunduz province on Wednesday, when work on a public library building was launched, officials said.

Kunduz City Mayor Najibullah Omarkhel told Pajhwok Afghan News the park spread over five acres of land cost $12,582. It has a green area, shops and special sites for children and women.

A marketplace for selling women’s handicrafts would also be added to the park, promised the mayor, who explained the municipality had funded the project.

Anita, a resident of Kunduz City, said the city had previously been without an exclusive park for women. She was concerned about security, saying necessary measures be taken to protect women visiting the facility.

Meanwhile, the foundation stone of a building for a public library was laid in Kunduz City. The project is estimated to cost $260,627, pledged by the Ministry of Counternarcotics.

Counternarcotics Director Abdul Basir Murshid said the library — having two saloons, six rooms, a conference hall and a computer room — would be built in a year.

Murshid said the ministry had allocated $1 million on an annual basis over the past few years for reconstruction schemes since Kunduz was declared a poppy-free province.

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