HERAT CITY : Businessmen and industrialists, who called on President Ashraf Ghani in western Herat province, complained about the increase in electricity price and taxes here the other day.
The businessmen lauded the president’s initiatives for economic development and reforms, a statement from the Presidential Palace said.
President Ghani arrived in Herat to inaugurate a landmark $300 Indian-built dam jointly with visiting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Chist-i-Sharif district.
Saad Khatibi, head of the Herat Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI), Hamidullah Khadem, head of the Industrialists Union and head of the municipality advisory council spoke during the meeting with Ghani.
Representatives of the private sector and traders shared their views with the president on the increase in electricity tariff for industrial users and increase in tax.
They demanded the appointment on observers in customs offices, naming a week to support local industry, introduce equal laws at custom offices across the country and their implementation and other issues.
In addition, the delegation discussed with the president issues like land-grabbing, better management of city entrance gates and construction of the Herat-Chesht-i-Sharif road.
The president said his government supported the private sector and investors and their economic plans would be discussed in the high council of economic affairs. Also their issues would be underlined in the meeting.
About reforms, the president said new policy on appointments at customs offices would be introduced in order to prevent nepotistic hiring.
The president said preventing land-grabbing was prime responsibility of governors, police chiefs and other officials concerned and said effective measures were being taken in this regard.
Ghani said the government had ended the culture of immunity for corrupt individuals and would never tolerate corrupt officials.
