KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, Nov. 20 (Xinhua) -- Afghan authorities began asphalting a major highway in south Afghanistan's Kandahar province, head of the Technical Department of the Ministry for Public Works said Monday.
In a ceremony on Sunday attended among others by Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, Acting Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs of Afghanistan's caretaker government, the official said that the asphalting process of the essential highway began from Arghandab district.
At a cost of 150 million U.S. dollars, the asphalting work of the 209-km-long road in the first phase will connect Kandahar to its neighboring Uruzgan province and is expected to be completed within three years to connect southern provinces of the war-torn country to the northern provinces via the central region.
The Afghan caretaker government has launched a variety of development projects including water canals, road constructions, water reservoirs dams, and the beautification of cities to reconstruct the post-war country and create job opportunities for locals. ■
