TRIPOLI, Lebanon: Former Tripoli MP Misbah al-Ahdab argued Tuesday that the construction of a controversial parking lot in the historic Al-Tal Square should not be financed using the city's development fund.
During a new conference from his residence, Ahdab, who remains an influential figure in the city, said that the massive underground parking lot would take $24 million out of Tripoli’s development fund.
Of the $100 million allotted to a Tripoli development fund by the previous government, $60 million were cut by the Cabinet last May, and now over $24 million are set to go into the Al-Tal proposal, he said.
The municipal council approved the creation of the parking lot last week after the proposal was initially rejected earlier in February. The reversal of the decision prompted protests outside the Tripoli Serail. Activists believe political influence was to blame for the sudden approval of the plan.
With the dwindling sum of money left in the fund, Ahdab said that the government should opt for a public–private partnership agreement when executing the Al-Tal project rather than removing the costs from the Tripoli development fund.
A Build-Operate-Transfer agreement would allow the government to delegate a private company to design, build and operate the parking lot. The private company would also have the responsibility to raise the funds for the project and is entitled to retain all revenues generated by the project until the concession period is over.
Ahdab claimed that the government is not willing to opt for a BOT agreement because the project serves to benefit an unnamed politician who is allegedly a stakeholder in the project.
The vocal politician stressed that Tripoli residents would not stand for the continued theft of development funds, especially after the Higher Relief Committee handed out insignificant compensation to area residents who have suffered severe damages by the latest rounds of clashes in Tripoli and north Lebanon.
No comments:
Post a Comment