Opt-faulty traffic signals irk Jalalabad residents

JALALABAD (Pajhwok): Traffic signals at some intersections in the eastern city of Jalalabad, the capital of Nangarhar province, have long been out of order. The lights sometimes become functional but go faulty soon, residents complain.

Residents and commuters say the government has installed the lights, but has been unable to keep them functional.

One of them, Durrani Tadbir, said the government had spent money on the lights to use them for controlling traffic jams and accidents. The lights were often found out of order, he said.

Another Jalalabad resident, Ikramullah, said the traffic lights turned faulty when people became habitual with the signals. He had no idea about the nature of the fault.

Traffic department officials blamed the matter on technical problems in the signals. Traffic director Col. Syed Hamidullah Sadat told Pajhwok Afghan News the electricity issue had been resolved, but technical faults in the traffic signals remained.

He said the signals had been installed by a private company which used Iranian product. Sadat said the signals could not be repaired in Afghanistan and the central  government had been informed about the matter.

However, he hoped the issue would be resolved soon as the central traffic authority had entered talks with the same company on amending the contract.

Civil society activists said traffic signals played a major role in controlling traffic jams and accidents.

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