Passengers, drivers decry lousy highway condition

FAIZABAD (Pajhwok): A number of passengers and drivers say parts of the Baharak-Jurm highway in Badakhshan province are damaged, urging officials to pay attention to the reconstruction of the road.

They claim several portions parts of that highway in Dara-i-Abdar, Dasht-i-Sokhta and Kandanha-i-Pari Khana areas of Jurm district and the Qalatak locality of Baharak are on the verge of destruction.

Expressing his concern, driver Hasibullah said: “The asphalted Jurm-Baharak road is being destroyed with time. No attention being paid to the maintenance or reconstruction of this road.”

He asked the local authorities to prevent further destruction of the road and repair its damaged parts on a priority basis.

Mahiuddin, another driver who uses the highway, said floods were the main reason behind the destruction of the road, which needed to be rebuilt.

A minimum of around 300,000-500,000 afs was needed to restore the highway to its original condition, he estimated.

Naseer Ahmad, a passenger travelling the road twice a week, said it was repaired with the income coming in toll tax.

He urged the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) to focus on repairing the broken parts of the highway -- a task that needed a small budget.

Sayad, a road construction engineer in Badakhshan, says the government must pay attention to repairing the partially damaged parts of the road, which could lead to the destruction of the highway, whose rebuilding could be a lot more expensive.

Public Works Director Eng. Iftikhar Ahmad Makhdoomzada admitted the problem. However, he said the Public Works Department was working within its resources to address the issue.

He added the department’s machinery cleared the road of soil and debris brought by floods from Warduj, Ahan Dara, Khash and Baharak-Faizabad highways. But it has no funds for the reconstruction of the road’s damaged parts.

The Ministry of Public Works (MoPW) approved a limited budget for the department for the current fiscal year, the official said, adding they had no money for fixing the problem.

The director explained the maintenance of highways and transit roads was a priority for the department, but district authorities and other organizations were not cooperating with them.

“We shared such issues with MoPW. If it approves funds, the department will implement the repairs,” Makhdoomzada promised.

Local officials say the Jurm-Baharak road is 18 kilometres long and it was asphalted in 2013. Currently, the highway needs maintenance and repairs.

aw/mud