Taliban administration lays foundation stone for new block in Kabul’s Microrayan V project
The Taliban administration on Wednesday laid the foundation stone for block B4 of the Peace residential project, known as Microrayan V, in Kabul’s District 9, a project officials say is being continued, though its housing units are being sold at high prices.
The ceremony was attended by Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, deputy prime minister for economic affairs, Mawlawi Abdul Salam Hanafi, deputy prime minister for administrative affairs, and Mawlawi Najibullah Hayat Haqqani, acting minister of urban development and housing of the Taliban administration. Officials described the project as part of housing and urban development plans.
Baradar said at the event that the Taliban administration was committed to completing projects that, he said, were halted or delayed during the previous government. He also claimed that projects such as New Kabul City and Microrayan V could help ease some of the problems caused by population growth, water shortages, urban disorder, environmental pollution and a lack of public services.
Hanafi said the project is being built on 1,300 jeribs of land and that the first phase is 70 percent complete. According to him, about 250 buildings are planned in block B4.
The acting minister of urban development and housing also said work on Microrayan V first began in 2014, but faced serious problems and did not move forward. He claimed the block will be built in a modern style and that the township will also include a school, a mosque, a seminary, a recreation area and some other facilities.
Haqqani also announced the prices of the project’s units, saying five-room units will be sold for $100,000, four-room units for $80,000 and three-room units for $60,000. He added that, due to existing problems, house sales are not currently being offered in instalments, but this issue may be resolved in the future.
Bahadır Erdoğan, head of the Bahaterk construction company, said efforts are under way to use Turkish construction experience in the project. He also said 99 percent of the workers on the project are Afghans.
Microrayan V is one of Kabul’s major residential projects. It began years ago, but implementation has repeatedly been interrupted and delayed. The project is located in District 9 of Kabul, an area that has drawn more attention in recent years due to population growth and rising demand for shelter.
