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Filmed on September 3, 2021.
KIRKUK, Iraq - This main street in a Kurdish neighborhood of Kirkuk was demolished two years ago in order to build a new one. However, delays in the new project’s construction has made life difficult in the area for residents.
Some locals of the Sarchnar neighbourhood believe the slow pace of the construction is due to discrimination, with several Kurdish neighbourhoods experiencing the same issue.
Local authorities, however, place the blame on insufficient funds from the federal government to the oil-rich city.
“The budget for services of the municipality, roads to the villages, schools, and health services is inadequate. We need a special budget for the reconstruction of destroyed villages, but we couldn't get it [from the federal government],” Rakan al-Jabouri, acting governor of Kirkuk.
Kirkuk has a budget of 284 billion dinars for 2021. Of this amount, 50 percent is allocated for unfinished projects from the previous years. The rest is devoted to municipal projects.
In Kurdish neighbourhoods built without receiving building permits, residents won't benefit from the new projects.
Reporting by Hardi Mohammed
Translation by Sarkawt Mohammed
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