TUNIS - A ministerial working session held Friday morning in Tunis, decided a set of measures for strengthening development in El Kef. The decisions and measures taken, during this session chaired by Minister in Charge of Economic and Social Files Ridha Saïdi with attendance of the government members and the governor of El Kef, was devoted to the different economic, social, environmental and health fields in this region.
A Prime Ministry statement specifies that this ministerial working session was an occasion to examine, notably, the results obtained by the commission tasked with managing the project created by the Prime Ministry, with the participation of concerned Ministries and parties, of September 22, 2012 concerning the Sra Ouertane phosphate project.
The main results are the determination of the large orientations of the project on the level of the water resources, the transformation sites, the port, the railway line and the landed capital.
The meeting allowed to give an agreement in principle for updating the study of economic profitability of the project and present the file to a second ministerial meeting, for the follow-up and the establishment of the execution schedule. Besides, the decision was taken to organise an information day on this project in the El Kef region.
In another connection, the working session examined the economic and social situation in the governorate. In this respect, the statement indicates that in the industrial field, the decision was taken for the connection of the delegation of Tajerouine and Jérissa with the natural gas network, in 2013 and other delegations in 2014.
Furthermore, it was decided to complete the achievement of the industrial zone of Oued Rmal, in April 2013, speed up the achievement of other industrial zones scheduled in Tajerouine, Sers, Jérissa, Sakiet Sidi Youssef and Kalaat Senane, and study the possibility of other zones in Nebeur, El Ksour and Dahmani.
The Industry Minister was entrusted with presiding over a commission made up of representatives of concerned structures and the civil society for the examination of the file of the Sacmo company and propose practical solutions as part of a consensus between the different sides.
On the other hand, the meeting ended up with the decision of vitalising job creation in the environment field for the waste processing of the Kalaa Khasba mine, organising an information and study day for the assessment and energising private investment opportunities in the governorate of El Kef, with the participation of government members and representatives of the private sector, funding enterprises, investment funds and support structures.
In the health sector, the decision was taken for the creation of a university general surgery department and studying the creation of a category "B" regional hospital in Dahmani, as well as upgrading the Health centre of Kalaa Khasba.
On the level of the landed file, according to the same source, the government calls to exert efforts and complete the works related to the regularisation of the landed files of the scheduled projects, in the field of basic infrastructure and industrial zones.
The participants in the meeting also decided to put 3,600 hectares of agricultural lands at the disposal of the Public Lands Board and create a technical commission for the examination of the exploitation of a marble quarry in Jebel Abba.
As regards the agricultural sector, emphasis was placed on the imperative to complete the elaboration of the profitability and impact study of the environmental project (EIE) of higher Mallag dam, set up the tenders file for June 2013, complete the studies of the "Tassa" dam by late March 2013 and start the elaboration of the global study related to the electrification of 1,200 wells in co-ordination with the regional commissioner of agricultural development and the Tunisian Electricity and Gas Company (STEG) services.
It was also decided to transfer the water supply project in the regions of "Felta" and "Khbebcha" to the Water Distribution Company (SONEDE), complete the study of conformity of the Sidi Rabah project of drinkable water supply to the SONEDE standards by the end of the first half of 2013, proceed to the afforestation of the south of the El Kef governorate with 60,000 olive trees during the first half of 2013.
As regards the equipment sector, it was decided to create a regional commission gathering the different stakeholders in the sector of stone and marble quarries to solve the problems and provide proposals, and entrust the Equipment Ministry with studying the development of 114 km of rural tracks, including 83 km will be ready before the end of 2013.
Concerning the sport sector, it was decided to refit the stadiums of Nebeur and Sidi Youssef and rehabilitate the youth centres of Nebeur, Oued Malag and de Sakiet Sidi Youssef.
In the cultural field, it was decided to restore the "Kasbah" and set up file for the elaboration of a plan of prior protection and valorisation necessary for the safeguard of the Medina and control the phenomenon of urban expansion. Additionally, the government decided to renovate the "El Mellita", the large and small fort, start the specific procedures for their assignment as well as the monument of the Kasbah for the benefit of the Culture Ministry, in addition to the restoration of the mosques of "El Kadria", "Sidi Ahmed Ghrib", the Zaouia "rahmania" and continue the rehabilitation of ancient houses and the achievement of El Kef tourist circuit in collaboration with the Tourism Ministry.
The session was attended by the Ministers of Industry, State Properties and Landed Affairs, Investment and International Co-operation, Public Health Ministers, in addition to several secretaries of State and Prime Minister's Advisers, senior executives stemming from several departments and regional executives of the El Kef governorate.
© Tunis-Afrique Presse 2013
