KABUL – Minister of Public Works Eng. Mahmood Baligh on Tuesday said his ministry constructed hundreds of kilometers of roads and saved Afs 15 billion in development projects last solar year.
Baligh told a press conference here that the ministry’s achievements in 1395 or last solar year included construction of 389 kilometers of roads and 2,000 meters of bridges.
Another 222 kilometers of roads were graveled at a cost of $21.5 million last year while and gravelling of 34 kilometers at a cost of $6.2 million was currently underway.
The minister added contracts for asphalting of 598 kilometers of roads and construction of 224 meters of bridges worth $497.5 million had been signed last year. The implementation of the projects had already begun, he said.
The minister said survey of 1,396 kilometers of road for construction and 1,060 kilometers for graveling in 17 provinces of the country had been completed.
Roads protection and care
Mahmod Baligh said sidewall along a 50 kilometers portion of the Kabul-Nangarhar highway was completed at a cost of $4 million. He said mobile teams to control heavy vehicles had been appointed and work on digitalizing truck scales was underway.
The minister said tax on heavy vehicles was increased from 296 million afghanis in 1394 solar year to 307 million afghanis in 1395 solar year.
The construction of a 60 kilometers railway line from Khwaf border of Iran to Ghorian district of western Herat province had also started and a 22 kilometers of the track had so far been built, he said.
The Aqina port in northwestern Faryab province would be also connected with Turkmenistan after completion of a 3.5 kilometers railway line project, Baligh said.
He said Torkham-Jalalabad, Turghundi-Herat, Sher Khan Bandar-Kunduz, Khulam--Mazar-I-Sharif and Shebrghan-Andkhoy-Aqina ports railway routes had been studied and the railways overall length was estimated at 688 kilometers.
Baligh said 15 billion afghanis were saved in road projects of Faizabad-Baharak, Baharak-Ashkasham, a road between Dara-i-Sauf district of Samangan and Yakawlang district of Bamyan, and a road between Qaisar area of Faryab and Laman area of Badghis province.
He said some contracts were awarded at lowest prices and changes were brought to others, thus saving the money. He said nearly 46 million afghanis were spent on snow-clearing campaigns.
Fighting against corruption
Baligh said organizational structure of the ministry had been changed, provincial posts were announced through the Capacity Building for Results (CBR) program and a special plan for procurement had been developed for prevention of corruption.
Eleven companies that failed to keep essential cooperation with the MoPW had been blacklisted and they would be no longer able to implement any projects, he said.
He said the ministry with support from the Asian Development Bank had created a strategic master plan for transportation infrastructure that would be implemented until 2036.
The ministry’s own plans of protection and care of roads and construction of railways across the country have also been prepared. (Pajhwok)