Islamic Emirate at a Glance

(Part 7)

Summary of the Most Significant Accomplishments of the Islamic Emirate

(2022 – 2023)

By: H.N

Preventing Disorganized Urban Construction

With the re-establishment of the Islamic Emirate, a serious program has been put in place to prevent unplanned urban construction and development. In the past, due to widespread corruption, most urban areas in the country grew without proper planning, leading to significant damage to organized urban development.

The Ministry of Urban Development and Housing of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has taken significant steps not only to prevent unplanned urban development but also to develop renovation plans for areas lacking proper planning. In the past year, 21 renovation plans have been implemented in Herat, Lashkar Gah, Sar-e Pol, Mazar-e Sharif, Farah, Kunduz, and Khost cities.

Furthermore, to ensure reforms and transparency, necessary documentations and records have been prepared for past and future projects more specifically, for the distribution of residential apartments, and a systematic database has been created for government housing complexes.

Moreover, during the past year, 18 infrastructure urban development projects have been tailored, aimed at improving urban management related issues as well as providing necessary facilities to the people.

In addition, 27 urban plans have been developed for central and provincial areas, including master plans, national plans, detailed plans, regional plans, and corrective plans. Furthermore, the clearance of state-owned land in the areas of the new Kabul city has also commenced, as per cadastral documents and maps.

Transparency in Electricity Revenue Collection

In the past, electricity revenue collection lacked transparency, with some influential individuals and companies not paying their dues. There was widespread misuse of electricity. However, with the re-establishment of the Islamic Emirate, transparency has been ensured in electricity revenue collection, and outstanding debts from debtors nationwide have been collected. During the past year, a total of 118 million Afghanis were collected from Kabul residents who had not paid their dues for several years.

Activation of Online System

Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat (DABS), in coordination with the Ministry of Telecommunications and Information Technology of the Islamic Emirate, has developed an online system for collecting electricity usage fees, which is now operational in 28 provinces across the country. This measure has eradicated corruption in electricity fee collection and has expedited the handling of customer issues.

Standardizing Electricity Meters

The installation of non-standard and illegal meters was considered a major obstacle to transparent revenue collection in the electricity sector. Over the past year, Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat (DABS) conducted surveys in Herat, Balkh, Kunduz, Kandahar, Parwan, and Nangarhar provinces, aimed at ensuring transparency and regulating electricity meters of both individuals and large corporations. As a result, more than 106 million Afghanis in electricity fees were re-collected due to meter underreporting by consumers.

Furthermore, 30 meter bases have been installed to regulate electricity in substations and its distribution to Kabul, Kandahar, Nangarhar, and Paktia provinces, preventing electricity wastage.

The launch of public awareness raising campaigns for collecting unauthorized and illegal electricity connections nationwide has led to a reduction in electricity wastage and an increase in revenue. As a result of these measures, electricity wastage has decreased from 33% to 26% in the past year.

Transparency in National Revenue Collection

Acknowledging the negative impact of banking restrictions on national operations and commerce, the Islamic Emirate has successfully provided efficient services in both financial and non-financial revenue collection through structural reforms. This achievement is attributed to the recruitment of skilled personnel, improving taxpayer comfort, and enhancing transparency, resulting in increased revenue deposited into the government treasury, which is a significant accomplishment.

The Islamic Emirate is committed to ensuring full transparency in governance, particularly in national revenue collection, by employing modern electronic systems like ASYCUDA, FMIS, and other international systems in customs operations. These systems have yielded positive outcomes and are considered as major achievements in streamlining transparency processes.

In the past year, provincial customs offices have been equipped with security chambers to enable central management to easily monitor all flows and gain access. Additionally, revenue collection processes for railway services have been integrated with banking systems such as CBS and RMIS, facilitating efficient revenue collection.

Continued…