Ghani misses Nangarhar civil airport deadline: Residents

JALALABAD (Pajhwok): Residents and civil society activists say President Ashraf Ghani missed his two-week deadline of initiating practical work on construction of the civil airport in eastern Nangarhar province.

After his reelection as president, Ashraf Ghani first travelled to Nangarhar province and addressed a big gathering where he promised that practical work on the civil airport in Nangarhar would be launched over the next two weeks.

Local officials say the airport’s boundary project has been sent to the National Procurement Commission and a company is working on the design and survey of the airport .

However, residents say the two-week time has passed but practical work on the airport construction is yet to be started.

President Ghani in his address had said: “Work on the civil airport  in Gamberi desert will be started over the next two weeks.”

Resident and social media users in Nangarhar province say the president should honor his promise and work on the airport should be launched.

Civil society activist Hayatullah Hamdeedi said the people of Nangarhar fully supported the president in his reelection and now he should fulfill all his promises with them.

He said the president campaigned on the promise of building the airport ahead of the presidential election and he promised the same again after his reelection.

Another activist Abdul Rahman Moawin said President Ghani should be careful while making promises with people or he should promise things which he could deliver.

He said the airport was a hug project which resourced enough resources and time. He called the ongoing work on the project site as non-serious. “Practical work means bricklaying which is yet to start in Gambir desert.”

Wolesi Jirga member from Nangarhar Ibrarullah Murad said the government had always meted out step-motherly treatment to Nangarharis.

He said they would be happy if the airport promise was fulfilled until the end of the new solar year, but it seemed the promise would remain promise keeping in view the ongoing political turmoil in the country.

However, Nangarhar civil aviation deputy director Rahmatullah Shuja told Pajhwok that the civil airport’s physical study and design processes were ongoing and would be completed until May 15.

He said the contract for construction of the airport boundary wall had been sent to the procurement commission and one million afghanis had been set aside for the scheme. He said work on the boundary wall would be launched after its approval from the procurement commission.

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