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KABUL (SW): The Kabul Municipality has recently placed billboard advertisements around the city which says that residents can call “155” and talk directly to officials at KM about their problems, offer solutions, suggestions, and ideas.
Previously, residents had to wait for hours, and were only able to talk to officials and discuss their issues after making appointments in advance.
Today, when I was passing by a big KM advertising banner, I met Asad who is a student at the Department of Economics at the Kabul University. He hailed such efforts by the KM to connect with the residents. He said that this may have been the first good work of the KM after years. “In the past, it was difficult to reach authorities and discuss problems, but now anyone can contact the authorities and talk directly with them”, he said.
In response to my question whether he has used this number so far to contact the officials at KM or has told them his problems or has informed them about any issues, Asad said that he has not been aware of the direct and free communication means with the authorities at the KM, however he will do so in future if needed.
Asad said he has plans and suggestions for the KM, and will share it with them. He is a talented young man, and I realized his depth of knowledge after speaking to him. Asad also introduced me to his friend, Amin.
Amin said that the city’s problems often rise during the winter season as the streets become icy and the muddy streets hamper daily commutes of residents. Amin also hailed the KM’s efforts to reduce the barriers to contact the officials. He said he had many times decided to contact the KM, and tell them about the problems he faced, however, he decided not to due to the impediments.
Rafiullah, a taxi driver who drove me to my home, had a pleasant experience of contacting the KM. He said one day a huge traffic clogged the Nadir Pashton Road due to double parking on both sides of the road. After spending two hours in this traffic congestion, he said, he saw the KM advertising billboard and called the ‘155’ number and shared the problem with them. He said the KM asked him for the exact address, and he thought that he had wasted his time, however, he said after few minutes the traffic police showed up and cleared the road. According to him, it was the first time that he complained and saw the officials act fast.
However, a few residents had no idea about the ‘155’ number, and blamed the KM for not providing enough awareness to the public about this service.
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I interviewed Abdul Jalil Sultani, the spokesperson for the KM in this regard. Mr. Sultani said that every day, the employees of KM are expecting to hear the resident’s problems and after receiving the complaint will find a solution, and in no time the KM team will arrive in the area to solve the issue.
The spokesperson said that the residents can always call the ‘155’ number and share their issues with the KM. According to him, in order to improve the work of KM, a relatively large technical team has been working at the KM to solve the residents’ problems without any delay.
He added that after the problem is solved, the officials at the KM will call back the residents who identified the problem for them to make sure they are happy and their problem has been resolved.
The KM was founded during the reign of King Amanullah Khan in 1920 under the name of Baldia Office. During the reign of King Mohammad Nader Khan, the urban development process flourished, and during the reign of Mohammad Zahir Shah, for the first time, the city administration rules were formulated and in 1942 the name of Baladia was replaced with Kabul Municipality.
ENDS
