Newly-appointed acting Mayor of Mazar-e Sharif, the capital of the Afghan northern Balkh province, has identified proper revenue collection and keeping the city clean as his priorities, Pajhwok Afghan News reports.
Nasir Ahmad Aini took charge as new Mayor of Mazar-e Sharif yesterday, replacing his predecessor, Mohammad Yousas Muqim, who held the post for 10 long years.
On the sidelines of his introduction gathering, Aini told Pajhwok Afghan News that proper collection of the municipality’s revenue and keeping Mazar-i-Sharif clean would be his priorities.
He acknowledged sometimes powerful individuals created problems in collecting revenue, but he would seek help from judicial organs if he came across such hurdles.
About cleanliness, the new mayor said: “Though we have a meager staff keeping in view the one million population of Mazar-e Sharif, yet we will keep the city clean.”
Aini urged local residents to cooperate with municipality workers in keeping the city clean.
But residents said the municipality lacked a strong will to keep Mazar-e Sharif clean.
A resident of Dasht Shor area, Jaffar Faisal, said they lived two kilometers from the Blue Mosque, Hazrat Ali Roza, but they could not easily come out of home due to mud unleashed by rains.
He said due to imbalanced development of the city over the past decade, their area was not given proper attention.
The resident said the municipality would not bother to remove garbage piles along uneven roads.
But the new mayor said people’s demands would be considered in carrying out the municipality’s affairs.
