The contract for marble mining in the northern province of Baghlan was awarded to two local firms, allowing them to extract the mineral for a period of five years.
The contract was signed at a ceremony attended by Taliban governor Abdul Rahman Haqqani who said that the lack of bridges and roads will be addressed from the revenue of the mining project. He added that it will also be invested in the construction of mosques and religious schools.
“We assure the people that security will be ensured for the project and we assure the people that public services will be improved for them,” he said.
“We hope that damaged roads in the province are reconstructed and bridges are built,” said Adil, a representative of the provincial directorate of mines and petroleum in Baghlan.
At least 500 people are expected to be employed through the project in Doshi district in Baghlan.
“Each of the companies has been allowed to work on the project for five years,” the Taliban district governor in Doshi, Yusuf Omar, said.
Obaid Noori Company and Mumtaz Hayat Company are the two local firms that have been awarded the contract for the mining project.
Contractors for the companies said that the marble extracted in Baghlan will also be sent abroad and that they will make efforts to process the marble within the country.
“We will try to address the needs of the country first, and then we will start sending it to China, Uzbekistan and Turkey as we have spoken with them,” said Mohammad Nabi, a contractor.
Baghlan has the second highest marble resources after Badakhshan province in the northeast of the country, but most of the mineral resources are extracted illegally.
