The Taliban municipality in Taloqan, the capital of Takhar province, has ordered the owners of more than 200 carpentry and wood-selling workshops to vacate their shops and move their businesses outside the city. This action was taken without providing an alternative location, sparking concern among hundreds of families who depend on these businesses for their livelihood.
Several carpenters and wood-sellers told Afghanistan International on Monday, November 2, that the order affects over 200 shops and 10 timber yards located in the "Sarak-e-Awal Sarai Sang" area. They said the Taliban mayor has been increasing pressure for the immediate evacuation of the workshops for the past two weeks, warning that they will be forcibly removed if they refuse.
This sudden decision has left the business owners facing uncertainty. According to them, the municipality has not offered any solution or alternative location for them to continue their operations. This has put hundreds of families who rely on the income from these workshops on the ink of unemployment and economic hardship.
In a self-initiated move, some of the business owners have leased a plot of land in the "Ahan Dara" area for five years to temporarily resolve the issue and are currently dividing it among themselves. However, they stress that this land cannot accommodate all the carpenters and that a short-term lease is not a sustainable solution and may create more problems in the future.
Some sources in Taloqan city say the decision was made due to the city's small size and the concentration of various trades in its center. However, critics insist that the municipality should have arranged a suitable location for the relocation of these businesses before implementing such an order to prevent an economic crisis for these families.
Meanwhile, the carpentry and wood-selling shops in Taloqan are considered vulnerable to fire due to the nature of the materials they handle. In recent years, several large fires have occurred in this area, causing significant financial damage and consistently worrying city residents.
Source: Afghanistan International
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