Per Björklund reports for the Daily News Egypt:
A neighborhood advocacy group won a partial victory on Tuesday as an administrative court ruled that authorities should present details of a controversial development project for northern Giza.
Local residents welcomed the ruling, while criticizing the government’s handling of the issue.
According to the ruling issued on Tuesday, the governorate of Giza and the Ministry of Housing, Utilities and Urban Development is to present all existing maps and other relevant documents concerning the planned development of northern Giza, in court on March 24, 2009.
Nasr Ibrahim, a resident of Imbaba, described the ruling as a “great decision.”
“If the project is really for the public benefit, as the government claims, they should make the details public. We are not against development, but we want to know our own future. If land is to be confiscated and residents evicted, where are we supposed to go?” he said.
In October 2007 the Egyptian government approved a plan for the development of northern Giza, including the land of the closed Imbaba Airport and residential areas home to around 1 million residents. The area is to be developed in six stages over four years.
According to the Ministry of Housing the main aims include opening new traffic avenues and to “support health, educational and luxury services in the region.”
According to the ministry, citizens whose homes or land would be expropriated will receive “fair compensation.” But lack of clear information has caused fear among local residents and severe criticism of the lack of public debate.
“The fact that the government so far has refused to reveal the details of the project shows that they are afraid of the reaction of the people,” lawyer Sayyed Fathy told Daily News Egypt.
Minister of Housing Ahmad El-Maghrabi previously told the independent daily Al-Masry Al-Youm that revealing the details of the project would only lead to “speculation.”
Critics claim that the secrecy surrounding the project indicates it will mainly benefit private investors and those in the higher income bracket, while threatening the livelihoods of many of the area’s current inhabitants.
Muhammad Saleh, coordinator of the Popular Committee for Defense of Imbaba Airport Land, welcomed the court decision on Tuesday but doubted it would have any effect.
“Only a strong popular campaign can force the government to listen to its people,” he said.
Saleh was very critical of the way the Governor of Giza and the Ministry of Housing has dealt with the project.
“The law requires that such projects must be subject to public debate by elected councils and civil society, which hasn’t happened in this case,” he said.
“There is a number of fundamental questions that need to be answered.
What are the exact areas that are affected by the project? How many homes will be demolished? When will it happen and is there a mechanism to ensure that everyone receives just compensation?”
