MAZAR-E-SHARIF - The municipality of Mazar-e-Sharif, the capital of northern Balkh province, has announced a 40 per cent increase in its revenue during 2013, however acknowledged its failure to utilize its development budget during the current fiscal year.

Speaking at the Municipality’s annual consultative and accountability gathering, the Mayor of Mazar-e-Sharif, Mohammad Yunus Muqim, said the department’s revenue stood at 300 million Afghanis ($5.36 million) in 2012 while it reached 400 million Afs ($7.14 million) this year.

Mr. Muqim linked the boost in income with better collection of taxes on shops and factories by municipality employees. He said in the past, such taxes would not be collected in an organized manner.

The Mayor said the municipality’s properties were rented out against higher rents compared with last year’s charges, thus contributing to the rise in income. A major chunk of income was being spent on development and reconstruction activities in Mazar-e-Sharif, he added.

Mr. Muqim explained that 20 kilometres of roads had been blacktopped, some recreational parks built and others reconstructed, in addition to constructing footpaths in the city with funds from the municipality’s development budget.

Similarly, countless saplings had been planted and garbage bins placed in every corner of the city as part of cleanliness efforts, the Mayor said, admitting that they had only used over 60 per cent of the Municipality’s development budget this year.

However, he said some projects were yet to be completed and that the budget spending was still comparatively higher than previous years.

But residents on the city’s outskirts say they are not happy with the Municipality’s performance. A resident of Dasht Shor area, Zabihullah Muradi, accused the municipality of giving step-motherly treatment to areas in the north of the city.

He said all roads in other parts had been blacktopped, but only a two-kilometre road had been asphalted in their area.

Mr. Muradi said: “In the city’s south, the road has been blacktopped up to the desert, despite a fewer number of people use that road. But in the north, which stretches to 10 kilometres, only two-kilometre road has been blacktopped.”

The Mayor, while refuting the allegations, said that the roads blacktopped in areas included in the Municipality’s master plan. He added that the Dash Shor area, lying close to the city, had not been included in the master plan as yet.

Source: Pajhwok Afghan News