Construction work resumes on Khost airport project

KHOST CITY (Pajhwok): Construction work on the international airport has been resumed in southeastern Khost province after a two-year delay, but some people claim corruption in the project.

First of all, the runway would be constructed and later other facilities would be completed, Khost Governor Hukum Khan Habibi told Pajhwok Afghan News on the sidelines of a ceremony marking the resumption of construction work on the airport.

The 2,700-metre long and 300-metre wide runway would be constructed over the next 14 months, the governor said, adding the transport and civil aviation ministry had allocated a total of $8.5 million for the construction works.

Plan for the terminal and other necessary facilities has been prepared and would be shared with the central government, he said.

Provincial council chief Abdul Wali Wahidzai, happy over the resumption of work on the airport, said corruption still existed in the project, asking judiciary organs to launch investigation into the project and convict individuals accused of wrongdoing.

 “Our efforts will continue until corruption in the airport project is investigated and the findings are made public. We also want people identified who delayed the scheme,” he said.

Former Khost governor Abdul Jabbar Naeemi said the airport project had fallen into the hands of some mafia groups and contracts of the project had been compromised.

President Ashraf Ghani, during his trip to the province, had instructed the incumbent local administration to carefully investigate the allegations and submit its findings to him.

However, Governor Habibi said the project was delayed due to some technical problems, which had been resolved now.

 “We have identified technical failures and presented them to the National Procurement Commission and we will be able to implement the project with high quality,” he said.

The airport could play a vital role in bringing improvement to people’s lives, a resident of the province, Spin Rawan Noorzai, said. He asked the government to pay urgent attention to the project’s completion.

myn/ma