Herat Municipality Holds First-Quarter Accountability Meeting for Fiscal Year 1405.

Herat Municipality held its accountability meeting to present the activities, performance, and achievements of the first quarter of Fiscal Year 1405 (Solar Hijri), with the aim of ensuring transparency and accountability to the citizens. The meeting was attended by Haji Mawlawi Hamdullah Nomani, Mayor of Herat; the heads of the Urban Governance, Technical and Professional Affairs, and Revenue and Accounting Directorates; several department managers; neighborhood representatives (Wakil-e-Gozar); and the heads of urban Community Development Councils.

The program commenced with the recitation of verses from the Holy Quran. Addressing the gathering, Haji Mawlawi Hamdullah Nomani, Mayor of Herat, stated that the primary purpose of the meeting was to provide citizens with a transparent report on the municipality’s activities and achievements.

The Mayor said, "Accountability to the people is one of the fundamental principles of the Islamic system, and municipal officials are obliged to remain accountable to the public."

He added that all revenues collected by Herat Municipality from citizens would be spent transparently and equitably on the development and improvement of Herat City.

The Mayor further emphasized that Herat Municipality is the common institution of all citizens and encouraged residents to share their suggestions, opinions, and requests directly with the municipality's leadership.

He also announced that the municipality has included 80 major development projects, valued at more than AFN 1 billion, in its Fiscal Year 1405 development plan, of which work has already commenced on 27 projects.

During the meeting, Mawlawi Abdul Ahad Khairkhwa, Head of the Urban Governance Directorate of Herat Municipality, highlighted the major achievements of his directorate during the first quarter of Fiscal Year 1405. These included disseminating the messages of His Excellency Amir al-Mu'minin (May Allah Protect Him), holding meetings of the Urban Order and Development Commission, implementing 90 percent of the standardized neighborhood zoning process across urban districts, organizing training seminars for neighborhood representatives, conducting municipal administrative meetings, dismissing 20 neighborhood representatives based on citizens' complaints, establishing four "Municipality–School" committees, supervising the city addressing and street naming project, and implementing several other important programs.

Meanwhile, Engineer Mohammad Ayoub Saif-ul-Jihad, Head of the Technical and Professional Directorate of Herat Municipality, stated that 80 major development projects worth over AFN 1 billion have been incorporated into the municipality's Fiscal Year 1405 plan. He noted that construction has begun on 27 major projects during the first quarter, while 25 projects are undergoing procurement procedures and another 18 projects are in the survey and technical documentation stage.

He further identified the municipality's major priorities for the current year as the construction of traffic and commercial underpasses, commercial and administrative buildings, retaining walls, street lighting, road paving and concrete works, canal construction, preparation of detailed plans for two newly established urban districts, city sanitation, expansion of green spaces, road marking, boulevard painting, urban beautification, strengthening urban order, and monitoring and controlling market prices.

In another presentation, Qari Ataullah Ahmadi, Head of the Revenue and Accounting Directorate of Herat Municipality, provided an overview of the municipality's revenues and expenditures for the first quarter of Fiscal Year 1405. He reported that total revenues collected during the quarter amounted to AFN 398 million.

He explained that these revenues were generated from municipal service fees on government, residential, and commercial properties; planning map approval fees; billboard and advertising taxes; business license service fees; customs-related municipal service charges; traffic-related municipal service fees; rental income from municipal properties; and other revenue sources.

Mr. Ahmadi also reported that the municipality's total ordinary and development expenditures during the first quarter amounted to AFN 86 million.

At the conclusion of the meeting, a number of neighborhood representatives and heads of Community Development Councils expressed their appreciation for the municipality's accountability initiative. They presented their views and recommendations for improving municipal performance and reaffirmed their full support for Herat Municipality's development programs.

The event concluded with a summary of the discussions followed by a closing prayer led by Mawlawi Abdul Qadir Mohammadi, Head of the Inspection Department of Herat Municipality.