Mubarak lauds high standard of new Cairo housing units
Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak Sunday lauded the high standard, the decorative works and the finishing of the housing units during his inspection of the National Mubarak Housing Project for Youth (NMHPY) .
Information Minister Sawfat El Sherif said President Mubarak asked to give priority to Sohag youth housing project and to start implementing the New Sohag city.
The President also gave directives to begin building the land route linking Sohag with the Red Sea in order to find new scopes of development in the governorate, Sherif added.
President Mubarak called on all parties concerned to take into consideration interests of all walks of life in Egypt when implementing a development scheme in any sector, he said.
Meanwhile, President Mubarak promised businessmen in Badr city to visit the new plants there soon, he added.
President Hosni Mubarak attended a ceremony marking distribution of around 15,000 flats to young People as part of an ambitious housing scheme.
(NMHPY)launched to provide flats for the middle class and limited-income brackets.
Minister of Housing and Urban Communities Mohamed Ibrahim Soliman said the objectives of the new communities are to develop desert areas to re-draw the urban map, preserve the agricultural areas, provide a strong economic base and job opportunities for youths and create a healthy urban environment for citizens.
The Minister said that these cities went through several generations including the 10th of Ramadan, 15th of May, Al-Sadat, 6th of October, Bourg Al-Arab, Al-Salhiya and Damietta, with a total area of 1,600 square kilometres and targeting 4.2 million inhabitants.
The second generation included Al-Shorouk, Al-Obour, Badr, New Cairo, New Beni Suef, New Minya and New Nubariya, with a total area of 668 square kilometres and targeting 3.5 million inhabitants, said Soliman.
He added that the third generation comprised New Assiut, Sheikh Zayed, New Thebes and New Aswan, with a total area of 172 square Kilometres and targeting about 1 million inhabitants
Soliman underscored the importance of construction planning to control human movement and maintain the agricultural areas and natural resources in the country.
Soliman reveiwed the new cities and their areas, pointing out that the first plan targeted 18 square kilometres and now the plans target 224 square kilometres.
As for the services in these cities, Soliman pointed out that they comprised 28 basic and secondary education schools distributed all over the cities, in addition to three specialized higher institutes, the American University, the Police Academy and the Judicial Academy.
The cities contain 100-bed-capacity hospitals, the Air Force Hospital with a capacity of 250 beds and eight operation theatres, three health units and three family planning clinics, said Soliman.
They also have four 5-star hotels: Sheraton, Hilton, Marriott And Al-fatim, in addition to three Golf clubs, world conference centre and fairs.
As for public services, there are three police stations and firefighting, three youth centres and playgrounds, 12 trade Centres, mosques, churches and old people's homes, said Soliman.