TUNIS - A set of measures to boost the development process in the governorate of Gabes were decided on Friday at a working session held at the government palace in Kasbah to discuss local development.
According to a Prime Ministry's press release, the meeting, attended by Minister Adviser to the Prime Minister Noureddine Bhiri, decided the creation of a joint committee composed of representatives of the concerned ministries, regional authorities and the civil society in Gabes.
This joint committee will be tasked with discussing plans for the creation of a faculty of medicine and conduct necessary studies, as part of the project to develop a health map and create university centres in inland regions.
According to the same press release, it was also decided to speed up the construction of a university hospital in the city of Gabes and the creation of two regional hospitals in Mareth and El Hamma.
Participants in the working session recommended examining the harmful effects of pollution and the relationship between industrial activities in the region and the emergence of some diseases, in addition to accelerating the achievement of the higher school of hospital management.
With regard to the environment issue, it was decided to expedite the realisation of projects with a value estimated at 70 million Tunisian dinars providing, in particular, for reducing emissions of sulphur dioxide and limiting the emissions of nitrogen dioxide from the nitric production unit.
To preserve ground water and meet the needs of the Tunisian Chemical Group in water, it was recommended to use waste water processed by the National Sanitation Office (ONAS) in GCT factories and re-use water processed by the Tunisian water exploitation and distribution company SONEDE.
Regarding the transport sector, participants in the working session agreed to launch a study on the creation of a logistic area in Gabes in 2014, examine the creation of a company responsible for ship mooring and launch a study on the project of a maritime line for the transport of containers.
Participants also recommended re-opening the air line Tunis-Gabes starting from 2014 and encouraging local authorities to provide a plot of land to develop the regional transport station, in addition to the commitment of GCT to reactivate the study on the development of Ghannouch port.
According to the same press release, Interim Prime Minister Ali Larayedh agreed that a delegation composed of representatives of the concerned ministries and the Prime Ministry visit the Governorate of Gabes next week to deeply discuss the development issue with local authorities and representatives of the civil society in the region.
Civil society representatives in Gabes are staging a sit-in outside the seat of the local governorate to claim the region's right to development.
© Tunis-Afrique Presse 2013
