While in the previous regime, the west Kabul region was always forgotten in municipal reconstruction projects due to numerous problems, over the past three years, in addition to launching hundreds of reconstruction and beautification projects, especially road construction, special attention has been paid to the Shiite areas of western Kabul.

Afghan Voice Agency (AVA) - Kabul: According to the Kabul Municipality to an AVA reporter, the Pol Sokhta road to Pol Jumaryat and Pol Sorkh, the one-way Company Road to Omid Sabz Town, the demolition and reconstruction of Pol Sokhta Square, the completion of the asphalting of Barchi Road to Company Road with a length of 1,436 meters and a width of 30 meters located in the 13th and 5th districts, and the continuation of the asphalting of Etadra Road from Zakirin Town to Qambar Crossroad with a length of 500 meters and a width of 30 meters located in the 5th district, are among the major reconstruction projects in western Kabul that have been completed or are in progress.

Nematullah Barakzai, spokesman for Kabul Municipality, told AVA that Kabul Municipality works in 22 districts of Kabul based on social and economic priorities and necessities, and east and west, direction, ethnicity, language and religion are not considered in their view. The annual report is also prepared fairly based on the 22 districts. He says that the selection of projects in each district is based on 27 criteria, including population, people's demand, cleanliness, economic corridors, etc.

Payment of land acquisition money
The spokesman for Kabul Municipality, in response to the fact that many residential houses along the roads, such as Naghash-Company, Erfani-Omid Sabz and also Mahtab Qala, have been mapped, will the money for their buildings and land be paid according to the land acquisition law or not? He said: Residential houses that have been mapped will undoubtedly be paid according to the law.
According to him, in the current year alone, Kabul Municipality has paid more than two thousand properties for two billion Afghanis, but the fact that some people are complaining about non-payment of money must be a problem that they must have referred to the land department. If their land is confirmed as private, the municipality is responsible for paying the money, and if it was government land, the municipality has no responsibility.

The spokesman for the municipality added that the damages to the buildings will also be paid if all the heirs get their rights, otherwise their money will be placed in a trust fund and whenever the document is cleared and all the heirs are satisfied, the money will be paid. The money is paid to the person who has the power of attorney or inheritance of the line from the court.
He explained: For all roads built by the municipality, two important tasks are first carried out, first measuring the costs of the road, which are then transferred to a separate code after estimation, and then all the houses located along the road are first measured and then the price of the buildings is evaluated.
Barakzai emphasized that if the municipality does not have any budget, it does not have the right to use people's money. For example, a person's house was on the Kabul-Logar road 12 years ago and he was in America. He came back a year ago and his document was clean and he received his money. Therefore, this transparency exists in the municipality and all the properties that have been previously acquired, their money is also transferred to a specific code and there is no need to worry.

In unplanned areas, alleys are concreted based on the municipality's existing standards
Although some alleys and back alleys were concreted in western Kabul during the republic, Barakzai says that in unplanned areas, we will not do anything to concrete alleys this year and destroy them next year due to the road plan.
According to Barakzai, about 400 projects have been implemented in all districts of Kabul without discrimination over the past three years, some of which were in the fifth, sixth, third, thirteenth, etc., which includes western Kabul, but during the work, all aspects and even the way the alleys are concreted have been considered.
According to him, the concreting of alleys in all districts of Kabul, especially western Kabul, is carried out with a set of specific standards, not blindly and without considering other urban infrastructure.
According to the Kabul Municipality spokesperson, in every area where a tar road is laid, the area is usually also planned, but still not all the alleys in the area are concreted, because they may be demolished again next year due to another plan.
According to him, the alleys are paved in accordance with the municipality's standards. For example, it is seen which alleys connect areas, passages and alleys, and also which alleys are used the most by the population, and even the payment or non-payment of cleanliness is taken into account, and the alleys are also concreted based on their use and importance.
Barakzai also said: Currently, all technical departments such as infrastructure, project regulation and implementation, acquisition department, planning and implementation department, and municipal licensing department are managed by experienced engineers, and work is progressing in accordance with the criteria and standards throughout Kabul.

Major projects implemented by the municipality in western Kabul over the past year
According to a report from the Kabul Municipality provided to AVA, these projects have been implemented in western Kabul over the past year;
1- Lot 2, Etafrad Road from Pol Sokhte intersection to Pol Chumhuriyat
2- Completion of the Company's cell to Mirwais Maidan (Koteh Sangi) with a length of 885 meters and a width of 11.76 meters (two-way)
3- Construction work project of Afshar Road opposite the Ministry of Justice with a length of 1298 meters and a width of 45 meters located in the sixth district
4- Completion of the asphalt road, continuation of the water supply building to the Company Road with a length of 166 meters and a width of 12 meters located in the fifth district
5- Completion of the asphalt road from Barchi to the Company Road with a length of 1436 meters and a width of 30 meters located in the thirteenth and fifth districts
6- Continuation of the asphalt work of Etafrad Road from Zakirin town to Qambar intersection with a length of 500 meters and a width of 30 meters located in the fifth district
7- Continuation of the construction work of Mirwais Maidan (Koteh Sangi) to Dehmazang with a length of 3226 meters and various widths.
8- Jar Jabbar Khan Canal, 830 meters long and 1.1 meters wide
9- Jabbar Khan Canal and Road, 2500 meters long and 3.5 meters wide
10- Repair of the intersection of the University of Education in the 5th District
11- Two-way plan of Omid Sabz Road - Irfani Road
12- One-way plan of the intersection of Deh Mazang - Mirwais Maidan (Kote Sangi)
13- Preparation of the detailed improvement plan of Part (B) of Khoshal Khan Mina
14- Design and preparation of the development plan (zoning plan) of the 5th District of Kabul and obtaining its approval
15- The zoning plan (development plan) of the 13th District is also under work, and its work has been completed by more than 50%. Completing the economic and social assessment in the area of ​​the 13th District Land Reorganization Project (D13-10) can also be mentioned as one of the municipality's one-year functions in western Kabul.
16- Land readjustment project D 6-2 located in the sixth district, which was approved by the Kabul Municipality on 16/3/1402 after approval. The work on the demolition of buildings located on the sides of the planned project roads, leveling and cleaning of the area was partially completed, but later, due to the change of the route of the 20-meter road located on the southern border of the project to within the project area, the Department of Urban Infrastructure and the guidance of the Kabul Municipality for correction, the project plan was again approved by the Mayor on 19/11/1445 after the correction. Currently, field work for basic construction (development and construction) of the roads within the project is underway.
17- Survey and data collection of the first, fifth and sixth districts of the unplanned areas
18- Implementation phase of the project related to the sixth district (D6-2), completion of the acquisition of 74 properties on the route from Qasr Darulaman Road in front of the Ministry of Justice to Omid Sabz Town located in the sixth district
19- Completion of the acquisition of 55 properties on the route from Deh Mazang Road to Mirwais Maidan located in the third district,
20- Completion of the acquisition of 241 properties on the route from Fazel Bek 30-meter road to Dasht Barchi (east of the Qambar intersection blocks)
21- Identification of 70,761 square meters of land for acquisition in the fifth district
And...

Improving the condition of Pol Sokhta Intersection
Kabul Municipality had recently released a video about Pol Sokhta Intersection in the sixth district of western Kabul, saying that in order to reduce congestion and develop traffic infrastructure, the work of improving the Pol Sokhta Intersection in the sixth district, which was started by Kabul Municipality some time ago, is being completed. The geometric shape of this intersection has changed from a circle that caused traffic congestion to an intersection that will be managed through lights and other traffic signs.
Also, the construction of a new and direct road from Pol Sokhta to Pol Sorkh and the creation of a new bridge on it is underway, and the people of this area appreciate these measures of the Kabul Municipality.

The people of western Kabul welcome the municipality's projects and ask for attention to some deprived areas
The people of western Kabul are also happy and appreciate the performance of the Kabul Municipality, especially in the reconstruction of roads.
Sayed Murtaza Hashemi, a Kabul citizen, told AVA: The reconstruction and improvement measures in western Kabul, especially the 13th district, by the municipality are unprecedented and we are happy about this.
Although political issues are not related to the municipality, Sayed Murtaza emphasized that we should publish his opinion on a major demand. Hashemi says that the Islamic Emirate is one or two steps away from recognition; including the reopening of schools and universities for girls.
According to him, with the advent of the Islamic Emirate, corruption has decreased and services are provided in return for taxes, security throughout the country is relatively assured, so excuses should not be given to foreign countries for a few remaining issues, such as the reopening of schools and universities, women's rights, etc.
However, there are still some deprived areas in western Kabul that require special attention from the municipality, including the passage of 44 districts of the 13th district.
In an interview with Ava, Ezzatullah, the lawyer for the 44th pass of the 13th district, said that the municipality’s cleaning staff in the 18th district is lacking, and the roads are not swept properly and on time, and people suffer from dust.
Simplifying the process of obtaining a cleanliness booklet is another of Ezzatullah’s demands from the Kabul Municipality.
Although Ezzatullah expresses satisfaction with the municipality’s performance compared to the republican era, regarding the 44th pass of the 13th district, he says that the culverts have not been built and there is not a single meter of paved road in this area, and even Hassan Abad Road, which is a public lane, is completely dirt from the end of the old road to the last stop.
He says that he has submitted three public petitions to the municipality and several times to the 13th district regarding the concreting of the road and the repair of the culverts, but so far no attention has been paid to this matter.
This lawyer also wants the municipality to launch projects in Kabul that will create jobs for the people, because the people are suffering from unemployment and poverty, and foreign aid has also decreased significantly compared to previous years.

However, according to Kabul municipality officials, just as over the past three years, since the arrival of the Islamic Emirate, about 400 projects have been implemented or are under construction in Kabul city in a balanced manner, and western Kabul is no exception, in the future, development projects will be implemented fairly throughout the city, especially western Kabul, based on priorities and needs.