Sirte, March 14: Moves are underway to try and revitalize Qadafi’s shattered hometown.
A meeting was held in Sirte yesterday, atteded by . . .[restrict]the deputy leader of Sirte Local Council, Khalifa Shawush as well as several heads of charities, NGOs and the Sirte Scouts to follow up proposals for revitalizing the town’s cultural and social life. These had been prepared by the charities.
The meeting agreed that the proposals should be coordinated and that and that a number of events be held to publicize their work.
As a result of Qaddafi’s efforts to make a last stand in Sirte between August and October, it is one of the most devastated places in the country. Last November, when the then Prime Minister Mahmoud Jibril estimated the cost of rebuilding Libya at $400 billion, Sirte was said to be the single largest costs.
Prior to the revolution, it had a population of 75,000. It is estimated that because of the destruction less than 30 percent are now living there.
Last month, UN’s Special Representative in Libya, Ian Martin, called on the Libyan government and the NTC to improve living conditions in Sirte. [/restrict]
