Wednesday, March 15, 2017
Kabul (BNA) The High Urban Development Council with President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani on the chair discussed registration of the construction companies, challenges before municipalities, development of Suroobi town and the final draft on transformation of the Traffic department to Kabul municipality, a presidential statement said.
At the outset, Sayed Usman Sadat director of the housing for Ministry of Urban Development presented the plan for registration of the construction companies, adding according to the plan the companies would be registered free of charges and would be classified.
According to him the companies would be evaluated through online services which will bring transparency and prevent corruption in the process.
Meanwhile the minister of urban development and housing Sayed Sadat Mansoor Naderi said necessary attention to road construction was not paid, adding through classification of the companies, such issue would be addressed.
The Minister of Economy addressing the session said, responsibility of the companies’ registration should be given to those institutions which would be part of the projects.
Hearing the plan and the detailed discussions, the president said the purpose behind the plan should be easing the process, adding the private companies’ capacities should be utilized, asking them to bring necessary improvement in their works.
Besides approving the plan in principle, the president asked for including of the related discussions into the framework of the proposed plan.
Abdul Baqi Popal, director of the local organs presented the issue on challenges before the municipalities, saying challenges include existing of 70 percent of no planning cities, obstacles before public-private partnership in term of land issues, lack of municipalities role in development projects of the cities, slow monitoring process of the master plans, municipalities no land on hand for distribution to the martyrs’ families and the budget of the municipalities.
The participants of the session presented their views on the issue, with president Ghani saying the process for assigning budgets to municipalities should be shortened. The president also asked for evolution of the townships’ distribution, saying there were corruption in the process.
Later, Elham Omar Hotaki, director of the central zone development agency presented the plan on new Suroobi town, saying the plan includes economic master plan of Suroobi, public facilities, transportation system, infrastructures, and implementation of emergency plans for returnees and distribution of land for agricultural villages.
The president said, the implementation of the project should be taken place during many phases, calling the plan a 10 years one. He also emphasized that the land garblers should be introduce to Kabul garrison.
The session approve the plan in principle.
Kabul acting mayor Abdullah Habibzai presented the draft plan on transformation of Kabul traffic department to Kabul municipality, asking the high urban development council to also transfer the department’s budget to the municipality.
Praising the plan, the president said legal obstacles before the transformation should be solved within upcoming two weeks. The president said Kabul’s traffic should be managed well, adding Kabul doesn’t face with lack of roads, but mismanagement.
The session approved the transformation of Traffic department to Kabul municipality.
