Badpakh residents demand completion of nearly finished power project

MEHTARLAM (Pajhwok): Residents of Badpakh district in eastern Laghman province have urged the caretaker government to complete the remaining five percent work on an electricity supply project, which was 95 percent completed in the previous government.

Malik Faiz Mohammad, a tribal elder from the Andaror area of the district, told Pajhwok Afghan News the project to electrify several villages has been largely completed, but work on it was stalled due to unspecified reasons.

He said four transformers have been installed for 14 villages in the Andaror area, poles erected and power lines extended — yet the absence of electricity means the infrastructure is gradually deteriorating.

Likewise, Malik Khyal Mohammad, a resident of Shah-Gulyan area, said around 40 poles were installed in his locality, with wiring and other technical work already completed, but the power has yet to be connected.

“All work is finished — the government just needs to start distributing meters,” he said.

Abdullah, a resident of Garuch area, said they were merely waiting for electricity to be connected and meters distributed, as the installation network had already been finalised.

Meanwhile, Breshina Sherkat officials in the province acknowledged the delay in implementing the electricity network in Badpakh, but expressed hope that the remaining work would be completed during the current year and electricity connected to the district.

Maulvi Omar Gul Naib, director of the power department, told Pajhwok that in 2019, Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat (DABS) launched a project in Badpakh worth 100 million afghanis. As part of the scheme, 22 transformers were installed and 60 kilometres of cable stretched.

He explained that the only remaining work lied in the Ozbin area of Surobi district in Kabul province, which falls under the authority of Kabul’s power department.

Naib said if DABS completed the work in the Ozbin area, they would be ready to begin distributing electricity in Badpakh. However, he did not specify why the project in Ozbin had been stalled.

kk/ma