Following recent heavy snowfalls in the country, several connecting roads in Daykundi province and the road linking this province to Bamyan-Daykundi’s main route to Kabul have been blocked.
Residents of this province have criticized the Taliban’s Directorate of Public Works in Daykundi and the contracting companies responsible for clearing the blocked routes. They emphasize that the prolonged closure of roads has created numerous challenges for the people.
In conversations with the Hash-e Subh Daily, residents stated that due to the road closures, the prices of goods in local markets have increased. They also highlighted the lack of well-equipped healthcare facilities and shortages of medicine and medical equipment, which has made it difficult to transport their patients to medical centers in Nili, the provincial capital, or neighboring provinces.
Meanwhile, the Taliban’s Directorate of Public Works in Daykundi has announced the reopening of the Qonagh Pass on the border of Daykundi and Bamyan provinces and the clearance of routes in six districts of the province from snow.
However, local sources report that the Daykundi-Bamyan route has not been fully cleared, and out of the eight districts in the province, only the roads of three districts have been cleared.
The districts of Sangi Takht, Kiti, Kajran, Khadir, and Ashtarlay remain inaccessible due to recent snowfalls, and the Taliban have so far failed to reopen these roads.
Jafar, a resident of the Kiti district in Daykundi, complained about the continued closure of the road connecting his district to the provincial capital. He said that over the past two days, after the heavy snowfall, the Taliban have made no effort to reopen this route.
He added: “I call the drivers on the route every hour, waiting to hear if the road is open so I can take a patient to Nili, Bamyan, or Kabul, but the roads are still closed.
Additionally, the closure of the province’s roads has led to increased prices for goods, particularly food items, in Nili, the provincial capital.
A resident of Sangi Takht district, who remains stranded in Nili due to the road closures, said anonymously:
“All the roads are blocked, and like me, dozens of other travelers are stuck in Nili. Prices in hotels and shops have risen. Shopkeepers say that wholesalers are charging them higher prices due to road closures, and they have no choice but to raise prices for customers.
This Daykundi resident criticized the Taliban and urged them to reopen the roads promptly. He said: “It didn’t snow yesterday or today, so they should work harder to clear the roads. I don’t understand why they haven’t taken any action.
Meanwhile, sources stated that the Taliban’s Directorate of Public Works in Daykundi had awarded a contract worth nearly 5 million Afghanis to a company for clearing at least 280 kilometers of roads. However, the company has been negligent and has yet to take effective action in this regard.
The Taliban’s Ministry of Public Works has also confirmed in a statement that several highways and routes in various districts remain blocked due to heavy snowfall.
The ministry’s statement mentioned that due to the heavy snow, several highways in various provinces, including the Salang Pass, are still closed. The statement also confirmed the closure of routes in provinces like Bamyan, Ghazni, Sar-e-Pol, Ghor, and Daykundi. Furthermore, it noted that the roads to Malistan and Nawur districts in Ghazni province are also impassable due to heavy snow.
The ministry added that the routes through the passes of Qonagh, Aab Qul, Kerman, Shatu, Punjab, and Dahane Siyah Darah in Bamyan, as well as Qum Kotl in Sar-e-Pol, Lal Kerman in Ghor, and the Nili-Ashtarlay road in Daykundi, are blocked due to recent snowfall.
The Taliban’s Ministry of Public Works has urged people to avoid traveling on the Salang Highway and difficult routes until the weather improves, to prevent traffic accidents.
You can read the Persian version of this daily report here:
بستهماندن راههای ولسوالیهای دایکندی؛ طالبان تنها راههای سه ولسوالی را باز کردند
