Cabinet Allocates L.L.30 Billion for Tripoli, Secures Payment of Civil Servants Wages

The government allocated on Thursday 30 billion Lebanese pounds for the northern city of Tripoli, following the violent clashes that took place in the old souks and Bab al-Tabbaneh last week.

“Ministers agreed that some areas of Tripoli and Akkar are suffering from extreme poverty and negligence and that the situation needs to be addressed in a serious manner through a reconstruction plan,” Information Minister Ramzi Jreij announced after a cabinet session at the Grand Serail.

“The cabinet therefore decided to earmark L.L.30 billion to pay immediate compensations to the citizens,” Jreij added.

The fighting in Tripoli and the nearby regions of Minieh and al-Mhammara was the deadliest bout of Syria-related violence in the North since the 2011 outbreak of the civil war in Syria, leaving 11 soldiers and five civilians dead between Friday and Sunday.

It was also the first to pit Islamists against the army in Tripoli.

The fighting caused major damage to the impoverished district of Bab al-Tabbaneh and the city's old souks.

Separately, Jreij said “to prevent any delay in paying the salaries of public employees and soldiers, the cabinet issued a law opening an additional credit … so that everyone can get paid at the beginning of the month, especially soldiers.”

The minister also said the Council for Development and Reconstruction was tasked with preparing the terms and conditions for “a call for tenders for collecting and transferring garbage from Beirut, northern Lebanon and most of Mount Lebanon district and to present it to the cabinet within 15 days.”

In addition to that the CDR was tasked with launching “a call for tenders for the treatment of solid waste.”

“It must submit to the cabinet within 60 days,” said Jreij.

Z.A.

Y.R.