King pledges commitment to development in south

By Mohammad Ghazal

KARAK – His Majesty King Abdullah on Sunday underlined commitment to developing the Kingdom’s southern region and provide its residents with decent living conditions and services.

At a meeting with community leaders and notables in the southern Governorate of Karak at Muta University, King Abdullah said the government will look into the needs and demands of the governorate to help enhance its residents’ standard of living.

The Monarch said projects he directed the government to implement in the south seek to alleviate poverty and unemployment and enhance the living conditions of the residents of the area.

In the streets of Karak, residents of the governorate lined up to greet His Majesty.

At the meeting, the King was briefed on a mega-master plan to develop Karak Governorate prepared by the Royal Court, the Urban Studies Centre and the We are All Jordan Youth Commission in cooperation with the Ministry of Municipal Affairs.

The 2010-2030 master plan is designed to attract investments worth JD4 billion, create 20,000 jobs and reduce unemployment from the current rate of 18 per cent to 9 per cent. It also stipulates lowering poverty from 22 per cent to 12 per cent through a variety of projects to be implemented under the plan.

The blueprint also entails identifying the usage of lands in the governorate, creating over 40 schools and expanding many others. Several healthcare centres will be established under the plan, which is also designed to upgrade water and sewage networks in the governorate.

Projects to develop the tourism sector in the governorate, especially in the tourist villages in Karak and near the Southern Ghor, will be carried out under the programme, which also entails building youth centres and enhancing the overall infrastructure.

At the meeting, the King was briefed on the progress in projects he ordered to be implemented in Karak during a visit to the area last year.

Among the projects that were implemented are the Abdul Wahab Majali School, a basic school in the Mahi area and a centre for persons with special needs in Al Qatraneh.

In addition, many schools underwent maintenance and expansion.

Healthcare centres were expanded and dormitories for medical staff in Ghor Al Safi Hospital and Karak Public Hospital were created.

Ten youth centres were also established across the governorate while dozens of houses were built and distributed to needy families.

Among the notables who delivered speeches at the meeting was Senator Fayez Tarawneh who stressed that the global financial crisis that affected the world and Jordan requires non-traditional decision, highlighting the importance of partnership between the private and the public sectors in this regard.

Lower House Speaker Abdul Hadi Majali, who highlighted the King’s efforts in fostering the country’s economy, said Karak residents look forward to alleviating unemployment, developing the agricultural college in Al Rabbeh area, upgrading the governorate’s infrastructure and enhancing tourism at the southern shore of the Dead Sea.

At the meeting, representatives of Karak outlined their demands, which included creating schools, improving healthcare centres, upgrading water and sewage networks and supporting farmers in the governorate, among others.

jordantimes