No proper route between Lashkargah, Khanshin district

LASHKARGHA (Pajhwok): Residents of Khanshin district in southern Helmand province say there is no propter route connecting the district with the provincial capital, Lashkargah, and as a result, they are struggling with serious problems.

They say the district has no known road leading to the provincial capital and residents have to travel on unknown ways in the deserts to reach Lashkargah and sometimes people lost the way.

Syed Gul, an inhabitant of Kalgi area of the district, told Pajhwok Afghan News their district had no link route with the provincial capital and the entire distance was covered by sandy deserts and travellers could face death threat.

He said: “One of our villagers Abdul Ali’s son lost his way in the desert and his car broke down and he died of thirst in the desert.”

Khudai Nazar, another resident, says: “Often patients lose their lives on the way to provincial capital. A child lost his life on the way two days earlier.”

Meanwhile, Ahmad Jan, a driver on the route, said his car often developed faults on the route, leaving him stranded in the desert for hours due to absence of a proper route to Lashkargah.

He added: “Our district route is in a dilapidated condition. We want the government to construct a proper route for us.”

On the other hand, Khanshin district administrative chief Maulvi Abdul Samad said many people had gone missing in the deserts on the way to Lashkarga, however they now had installed signs on the way for motorists to address this problem.

He said: “We have asked the provincial authority to construct a standard route from Lashkargah to Bahramcha district in order to address problems people are facing and to prevent smuggling.”

At the same time, governor’s spokesman Maulvi Mohammad Qasim Riaz also acknowledged the problem.

He said about ten people had gone missing on the way in Khanshin, Disho and Bahramcha districts during the last two years.

He added: “Currently, signs have been placed in every two kilometres in the desert in Khanshin district and they plan to construct a proper route in cooperation with the Public Works Department and other relevant entities.”

Khanshin district is situated 130km south of Lashkargah and borders Iran and Pakistan.

kk/ma

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