King starts tour in central and southern Morocco
Morocco, Politics, 10/15/2001

Morocco's King Mohammed VI started on Sunday a tour in Moroccan central and southern provinces by visits to the cities of Rommani, Khemisset and El Hajeb.

In Rommani (80 Km east of Rabat), first leg of the tour, the sovereign, who was accompanied by his brother Prince Moulay Rachid, launched the construction and rehabilitation works of several road projects, connecting the communes of Maaziz and Oulmes, Oulmes and Tarmilet and Ait Ikkou and Ait Ichou.

The Maaziz-Oulmes 56 km-long road section will cost 37.5 million Dirhams (about US$3.40 million). A nine Km road section between Oulmes and Tarmilet will be re-coated and enlarged for a cost of 5 million DH ( nearly $ 450,000) while a 28 km long road section will connect the rural communes of Ait Ikkou and Ait Ichou. The project is to cost 17 million DH (about $ 1.54 million).

These road projects are meant to break the isolation of the region and connect it to the highway network. The projects will undoubtedly have a positive socio-economic impact and will be beneficial to the populations, minister of equipment Bouameur Taghouane told MAP.

In Khemisset (90 Km east of Rabat), King Mohammed VI dedicated the November 18 stadium that includes a football stadium, athletics track and other sports facilities. The football stadium cost amounted to 649,060 Dh ($ 59,000) while the athletics track and play grounds cost was worth 6.38 million Dh ($ 580,000).

The sovereign also visited the Ibn Al Baytar center for disabled children, which is being refurbished and enlarged.

The rehabilitation works of the center, extending over 6.3 hectares, will be completed by next December. The center has a 144 bed capacity and is aimed at integrating disabled children of schooling age.

The rehabilitation and expansion works, worth 6.78 million DH (about $ 616,000), were totally financed by the Mohammed V solidarity foundation.

The center provides to the disabled children lodging, schooling, medical care, including surgical operations and rehabilitation, orthopedic devices, in addition to entertainment and leisure activities.

For the 2001-2002 year, the center is accommodating 126 children, 90 boys and 36 girls, from various regions of the kingdom. The center, set up in 1972 by the British Save the Children Fund, is managed since 1993 by the Moroccan mutual assistance department.

King Mohammed VI afterwards headed for El Hajeb, a mountainous resort, 190 Km east of Rabat, where he was briefed on an agricultural development project on dry farming in the rural communes of Naaman and Iqueddar.

The project worth 26 million DH ($ 2.36 million)is meant to improve productivity, raise the farmers' income through an additional return of 4,000 DH per hectare per year, improve the rural women's participation in development, and enhance investment.

The project, covering 30,160 hectares, will create 300,000 work days during its unfolding and 25,000 work days annually. It will benefit 14,139 persons, i.e. 13 % of the rural population of the province of El Hajeb.

King Mohammed VI was also briefed on a water supply project worth 18 million DH ($1.63 million), including a water pumping station, water pipes and 2 water reservoirs.

The sovereign also heard explanations on an electrification project worth 22 million DH ($2.0 million). Once completed, the project will enable to electrify 63 % of the rural areas of the province by 2004.

The sovereign then launched the works of a project to protect the city of El Hajeb from floods. The project is worth 42 millions DH ($3.81 million).

During this tour in central and southern Morocco, the sovereign will be inquiring about living conditions of the populations in these provinces.

The king will deliver from the central city of Khenifra a speech to the nation and perform next Friday's prayers in the Grand mosque of Azilal.

Previous Stories:
  King Mohammed starts Sunday tour in central and southern Morocco   (10/13/2001)
  King Mohammed renews support to comprehensive approach to fight terrorism   (10/13/2001)
  King Mohammed stresses importance of encouraging investments   (10/13/2001)

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