Benghazi March 11:
Libyan engineers may call for the abandonment or re-evaluation of grandiose Qaddafi-era construction projects when they meet . . .[restrict]tomorrow in Benghazi, at a conference intended to hammer out the priorities for reconstruction and new developments in the country.
The event may also address the tricky issue of compensating construction firms, particularly overseas concerns, for financial and physical loss during the revolution. The Chinese are so far the only government to have held out for repayment before they will resume their projects here, estimated to be worth some $15 billion.
The organisers are expecting a range of local and international construction and planning interests to examine the “Libya Reconstruction and Challenges” theme. This will embrace both housing and infrastructure, including water and power generation.
The meeting, being held at the Da’wa Islamia (Islamic Call Society) building, will look at the uneven and unbalanced construction inheritance of the Qaddafi years, the unjust planning requirements and the heavy burden of bureaucracy.
“ We want to exchange opinions and proposals to streamline decision-making” say the organisers, Engineers for Libya, “to build modern and sustainable cities and villages, which are economically active, and in which human and environmental needs are respected.”
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