Over 50pc of buildings in Khost City unplanned & illegal

KHOST CITY (Pajhwok): Pajhwok Afghan News’ findings show more than half of commercial and other high-rise buildings in the capital of southeastern Khost province have been constructed unplanned and in violation of rules.

Pajhwok obtained documents that show the buildings were erected against municipality and housing department rules and with the support of powerful individuals, or on the basis of bribes paid to government officials,

The plan and procedure of the municipality and the urban development and housing department allow the construction of five-storey buildings with basements in commercial areas and two-storey buildings in residential neighbourhoods.

But over the past 20 years, in addition to illegal markets built in commercial areas, up to eight-storey buildings have been constructed in residential localities. Some buildings or are currently under construction.

These structures are not only unplanned, they also don not meet key engineering standards and violate building laws.

Former mayor of Khost Eng. Roshan Naveed confirmed to Pajhwok that 85 percent of the high-rise buildings in the city were unplanned and constructed on the basis of bribery.

Without going into details, he alleged unplanned buildings and markets were still being established in the provincial capital. He claimed no township or high-rise building had been allowed during his tenure.

The ex-mayor recalled: “Campaign against illegal high-rise buildings has been a priority for the municipality. We would talk to all government institutions on this and coordinated on how to prevent construction of unplanned buildings. Most of high-rise buildings have been erected with the support of powerful people.”

Pajhwok’s findings indicate a letter was sent by Naveed to the police headquarters on January 28 this year, stating that work on the 4th and 5th stories of house number 210 — belonging to Haji Badshah — was underway.

In the letter, the police chief was asked for cooperation on preventing the construction of the building.

Pajhwok has also received a copy of the list of people accused of erecting unplanned buildings in Khost City.

The list includes names of Rahmatullah, Kamal Nasir, Qiauddin, Saeedullah, Dr. Shafiq, Shah Yousuf, Eid Marjan, Wali Badshah, Keftan, Dr Hakim, Niazbat Khan Kochi, Khattak, Mehrabuddin, Durgai, Aqal Mir, Abdul Khaliq, Dur Mohammad and Raz Mohammad.

It has been sent of officials of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th police districts, as well as the Khost Municipality. .

Another document obtained by Pajhwok also cites locations of the buildings and names of their owners. The structures have already been built or are in the process of construction.

Building locations & owner names:

Haji Anwar Building on the southwest side of Doctors Without Borders Hospital in third police district, Rashid Mangal Building on the western side of Doctors Without Borders Hospital, Mohammad Ayub Khan Building on the western side of Hammam Market in the third police district, Haji Anwar Jan Malik Building east of Municipality Department in the second police district, Dilbar Building west of Spin Jumat Mosque in the second district and Qayyum and Hidayatullah Buildings south of Khost City Centre in the second district are some examples.

Eng. Ibrahimullah Walizai, former director of Urban Development and Housing, said: “We have written letters to the authorities concerned to prevent the construction of unplanned buildings and markets in the areas. Work on some buildings has been stopped to some extent but not totally.”

For instance, he showed Pajhwok a letter sent to the Khost Municipality in July 2020 for the prevention of work on illegal and arbitrary structures in the city.

The letter read Urban Development and Housing Department engineers had observed construction processes in Khost City and the municipality should stop any structure that were in violation of urban rules and procedures.

Meanwhile, former provincial council chairman Kafil Rehan agreed high-rise buildings in Khost City had been constructed unplanned and arbitrarily due to negligence of ex-government officials.

He claimed during his tenure, he had shared the issue with Urban Development and Housing Department and the municipality several times, but they failed to discharge their duties properly.

“It is a fact that many high-rise buildings in the city have been constructed in violation of the relevant rules. We have shared this problem in writing and verbally with the Urban Development and Housing Department and the municipality. We have told them that high-rise buildings should be based on law,” he added.

Jamal Tanai, head of the Khost City Shopkeepers’ Union, claimed the construction most of the unplanned high-rise buildings had been allowed as a result of bribes paid to officials.

“All the high-rise buildings have been constructed by people who are strong and have a lot of money. They have bodyguards and travel in armoured vehicles,” he said.

Mufti Shah Hussain Mujahid, deputy director of information and culture, acknowledged there were around 40 unplanned and illegal buildings in Khost City.

These buildings had been constructed due to absence of the rule of law and arbitrary acts of strongmen over the last two decades, he commented.

Meanwhile, the present police chief for Khost, Maulvi Mehboob Shah Qanat, said they were ready for any help, if asked. He would not allow anyone to act against urban rules.

Pajhwok Afghan News reported on December 9 that thousands of people in Khost, including local strongmen, had usurped state land in the province over the last two decades.