(MENAFN- Pajhwok Afghan News) KABUL (Pajhwok): Many areas specified for bus stops in capital Kabul have been usurped and roadsides stalls built on them by some individuals, Pajhwok Afghan News has observed.
A Pajhwok team visited eight bus stands falling in the limits of 7th, 8th and 12th police districts of Kabul City and found all the places, created to facilitate public, had been usurped.
Several individuals, who have established stalls in Darulaman area, refused to answer how they got places for creating stalls or shops, but talked about paying 1,500 to 6,000 afghanis monthly to the municipality in rent.
Najibullah, one of the stall owners, said: 'We have created a shop in Bus Stand and the area is given to us by the Municipality for creating this shop.'
'The Municipality's district office has awarded the area to us against 5,200 afghanis monthly rent,' he said.
Ali Raza, another stall owner who sold food items in Darulaman area, said: 'I pay 2,500 afghanis rent monthly to the municipality.'
He said places at the bus stand were granted to people through a competition in the Municipality office and those offering higher amount of rent were allotted the stall places.
Gul Ahmad Ameri, technical deputy head at the National Bus Enterprise, said: 'I don't have information about the number of illegal stops at bus stands in Kabul because we don't know who constructed these stalls and no such shops are handed over to us.'
Ameri said people paid money in cash while using bus because no modern system of fare collection could be established as yet.
But Hekmatullah Qawanich, spokesman for the Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation, said most of places of their ministry had been usurped in Kabul.
'I don't know who have grabbed these places but I know who provides these areas against rent and who receives the payment,' he said.
According to reliable sources, 20 illegal stalls have been constructed in public transport areas and offered to people against rent.
A well-placed source in the Municipality District sixth confirmed reports of rent being received by the municipality from illegal stalls on public transport areas but Jalil Sultani, the spokesman for Kabul Municipality, said he had no information in this regard.
'No bus stand in Kabul is awarded to anyone on rent for creating stall or shop,' he said.
He added in 450 points would be constructed at bust stands in Kabul and equipment for these stands would be imported from Turkey. Work on these stands would be launched in the new year.
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