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Next year, people will decide their development priorities — Mulki

PM, key ministers make field visit to Maan, meet community leaders

By JT - Oct 10,2016 - Last updated at Oct 10,2016

Prime Minister Hani Mulki and a ministerial team meet local community leaders in Maan on Monday (Petra photo)

AMMAN — Prime Minister Hani Mulki and Cabinet members on Monday paid a field visit to Maan Governorate, during which they met with representatives of various sectors over issues of concern to the area, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

While in Maan, the premier inaugurated the Shams Maan solar energy project, the largest in the Kingdom.

During the meeting held in King Hussein Bin Talal University, Mulki said his visit comes under the directives of His Majesty King Abdullah to directly communicate with the public and hear their opinions and demands, highlighting the visit's importance weeks ahead of the commencement of the new Lower House’s term. 

If the government gains the confidence of Parliament when it convenes in November, it will start drafting the budget for 2017, Mulki said, adding that the balance sheet should reflect residents’ expectations and viewpoints. Focus, he said, has been shifted to priorities decided by the people rather than those set in Amman.

The premier said that next year will witness how each governorate will determine its own priorities under the Decentralisation Law, noting that there are many projects in Maan to be implemented within a set timeframe and through the allocated funding. 

In the budget statement to the House, the government will discuss the budgetary policy for 2017 and will be held accountable for the measures it will take in that regard, the prime minister said, stressing that the government seeks to serve the public and meet its expectations “within its capabilities”. 

Regarding the Desert Road, which links Amman and Aqaba through Maan, Mulki said the government did not wait until tenders were floated to rebuild the highway, but immediately allocated funds to carry out  urgent maintenance to the most damaged parts of the road. 

As for the land port planned for Maan, 220km south of Amman, the premier highlighted its importance, as it will connect Asia and Africa through the Aqaba Port.

Allocations to the project are available and construction will start once designs and studies are finished.

As for the railroad project, Mulki said that an expansion of the railway connecting Wadi Al Yutum and the ports is being designed, adding that this project will be part of the larger national railroad project, which is also on the drawing board.

Mulki responded to questions by the attendees about various other projects regarding street lighting, opening a branch for the Civil Service Consumer Corporation, health insurance for people over eight years of age and the new public works by-law the government drafted two months ago, which stipulates that tenders issued in a certain governorate should have most of its employees recruited from the same governorate through local contractors. 

For his part, Maan Governor Ghaleb Shamayleh said that Maan is witnessing increasing development activity in tourism, mining, renewable energy and chemical industries, noting that the governorate’s budget this year stood at JD110 million, in addition to JD6 million extra funding from the Planning and International Cooperation Ministry. 

 

For their part, the ministers accompanying the premier took turns to discuss their ministries’ projects in the governorate and responded to questions regarding issues related to education, water, labour, security, decentralisation, public works and tourism. 

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