Slow-paced work on Kabul-Kandahar road irks drivers  

GHAZNI CITY (Pajhwok): Some drivers driving vehicles on the Kabul-Kandahar road have complained against the slow-paced reconstruction work of the vital road that connects capital Kabul with central, southern and western parts of the country.

They said the road had been destructed in several areas while the reconstruction work was going on at slow-pace.

Enayatullah, a truck driver, told Pajhwok Afghan News the reconstruction work of the road needed strong inspection, the pace of the work was slow as there was no major difference now comparing to the work of past three months.

“Work on the culverts should be accelerated, we want the officials to inspect the work of contract holding companies because our vehicles now travel on a rough road and that cost us,” he said.

Abdul Mohammad, another driver, said the condition of road in Ghazni and other southern provinces was worst, the reconstruction work needed to be accelerated and there was need for strong attention from the authorities.

They said it took 48 hours for trucks to reach Kabul from Kandahar and if the road is constructed it will take 10 hours to reach Kabul.

There are greater chances of accidents as well, the vehicles tires are lost quickly and it inflicted other technical faults as well.

Mohibullah Abbas, head of the Ghazni Public Works Department, told Pajhwok Afghan News the construction work of 96 kilometres Ghazni-Zabul portion of the road was carried out by three companies.

He assured the project was of a national interest and its work was inspected by professional engineers regularly.

“The construction of culverts is time-consuming, every culvert took up to 40 days, the contracting companies were bound to conduct the work in-time,” he said.

Complaints regarding the slow-paced work emerged at a time when the asphalting of 27-kilometres Kabul-Kandahar Road from the Arghandi area of Kabul province till the Durrani Bazaar area of Maidan Wardak province has kicked off.

At the inauguration ceremony, Mullah Abdul Ghani Beradar, the government’s economic affairs aide said: “We want the contract holders to asphalt the road as soon as possible and ensure high quality of work, honesty and faithfulness.”

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