PRT, GIRoA discuss solution to Jalalabad overcrowding

Members of the Nangarhar Provincial Reconstruction Team met with Lal Agha Kaker, Jalalabad’s mayor, to discuss the Regional Afghan Municipalities Program for Urban Population and revenue generation at the mayor’s office May 9.

RAMP UP will fund a parking lot for the city aimed at easing concerns related to rickshaw vendors, said Dan Ruge, United States Agency for International Development field officer from Denver and the PRT’s lead on Jalalabad development.

The meeting was the first between Kaker and Ruge, who recently arrived in Afghanistan. Kaker outlined a number of issues in his city, most stemming from overcrowding.

"Jalalabad was built for 50,000, but currently has a population of over 200,000," said Kaker.

This situation created unique problems for the city. One of the more pressing issues is related to rickshaw vendors.

Many of the city’s residents use rickshaws to sell their products, Kaker said. The rickshaws are a heavy source of congestion, responsible for traffic jams as well as clogging up the city’s sidewalks.

USAID proposed to build a parking lot for registered rickshaws to operate, said Ruge.

The rickshaw parking lot will operate as a market similar to a flea market, he continued. The rickshaw owners will have to pay a rental fee to the city, thus creating a revenue source for further development.

The RAMP UP program will be the primary source of funding for the parking lot, said Ruge. If successful, this project will allow RAMP UP to invest more heavily in Jalalabad.

"This is only the beginning of what I hope to accomplish during my first two years here," Ruge said. "This project is very important for the future of Jalalabad, and I’m excited to get started working on it."

"I am happy that Dan has been selected as the lead for Jalalabad," said Kaker. "I look forward to doing good work with him."

RAMP UP is a project designed to build the capacity of the government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan officials and deliver small service projects to help the municipality generate revenue and provide services to the citizens of Jalalabad.

Members of the Nangarhar Provincial Reconstruction Team met with Jalalabad’s mayor and his staff in his office to discuss the Regional Afghan Municipalities Program for Urban Population and revenue generation May 9.