By Seraj Essul.
Tripoli, 9 July 2013:
One of Tripoli’s biggest eyesores, the destroyed Bab Al-Aziziya Qaddafi compound, has been taken on by . . .[restrict]a group of local volunteers determined to spruce up the neighbourhood.
The clean-up began yesterday, with volunteers using heavy plant machinery to remove debris from the smashed outer walls of the compound. This has been blocking large areas of the pavement since NATO bombed the area during the revolution.
“We are doing this because Tripoli is the face of the country,” head of the clean-up squad, Salah Bernaz, told the Libya Herald today. He said there were ten volunteers involved in the project at the moment but he hoped more people would soon join in.
Passers-by seemed impressed that someone was finally taking action to address what is becoming little more than a dumping ground for people’s rubbish. Many stopped to congratulate the volunteers.
“We haven’t had any help from the government,” one volunteer said. He complained the authorities had not even provided safety equipment such as barriers to protect the workers from the busy adjacent road. The only support for the campaign had come from people living in the area, and some sponsorship from a local business, he added.
“Thank god, this wall will finally be removed so I can see Tripoli look better,” one volunteer said.
Bernaz said the group would continue the clear-up operation until the crumbling outer walls had been cleared from the pavements. [/restrict]
