QALAT CITY (SW) – A number of residents of Shamalzai district in Zabul province have told Salam Watandar that they are building the district’s commercial market at their own expense.
Sardar Mohammad, a resident of Shamalzai who is currently constructing a shop in the market, said that before the market was destroyed during the conflicts, he used to meet the needs of his 13-member family by working in that market.
He, who suffered a loss of nearly one million afghanis due to the destruction of his shop, said: “I used to provide for my family’s expenses from this shop. My shop was destroyed, and everything I had was ruined.”
According to Sardar Mohammad, dozens of shopkeepers in Shamalzai’s market lost their shops and properties as a result of the recent years’ conflicts, and now they are in a dire economic situation.
The residents of Shamalzai, who are building new shops in the district’s market, hope that once the market is reconstructed, it will alleviate some of their economic problems.
Khodaynoor Khodam, the acting district governor of Shamalzai, said that they are working to meet the daily needs of the people and create job opportunities by providing the necessary infrastructure for building roads, canals, and other facilities for the market.
The internal conflicts in recent years have caused not only financial damage in Shamalzai district but also in other parts of the province.
