Petra projects should benefit local residents, national economy – Rifai

By Ziad Twaisi

WADI MUSA/MAAN – Prime Minister Samir Rifai on Wednesday underscored the importance of preserving the historical city of Petra while keeping both the national economy and local development in mind.

The prime minister made his remarks at the signing of an agreement on a comprehensive plan for the Petra region covering the next 20 years.

The agreement has been referred to a consortium of Austrian, American and Italian consulting companies, at a cost of JD363,000.

Projects that seek to upgrade the Petra development tourism region are also intended to improve the living conditions of the city’s residents, the premier noted.

On allocations for the Petra Development and Tourism Region Authority (PDTRA), he said the government is working in line with the priorities outlined in its action plan, in accordance with the directives of His Majesty King Abdullah.

Funds will be allocated to projects in the region if they are linked to attracting investments, upgrading the city’s tourism environment and creating better business opportunities, he told representatives from the PDTRA.

He said the government is working to prepare the 2011 budget and that committees are examining the economic benefits to be yielded from these allocations.

Institutions need to convince the committees that the funds they solicit will support the national economy in order to obtain them, he explained.

Regarding additional recruitment, the premier said: “We must not reach a stage where institutions hire people for the mere sake of recruitment and forget their development role.”

He also stressed the importance of providing employment opportunities for the area’s residents in line with a clear vision from the PDTRA in this regard.

During the visit, the premier also toured a development project in Wadi Musa Centre being carried out to develop the areas of Wadi Musa and reduce traffic congestion.

Also yesterday, the premier checked on the implementation of several projects in Maan, including the Maan Cultural Centre Project, whose cost is estimated at JD7 million. He also checked on the rehabilitation and expansion of the road from Maan to the industrial area, executed at a cost of JD11 million.

Rifai also visited the National Fodder Project, implemented by the Hashemite Fund for Badia Development in the north of Maan Governorate, about 210km from Amman.

The first phase of the project, implemented over a 50,000-dunum-plot of land, is designed to meet the Kingdom’s annual need of barley, which stands at 2,000 tonnes.

The premier also checked on the road leading to Al Hussein University, built recently at a cost of approximately JD6 million. The road was not completed because of lack of funds. At the site, the premier gave instructions that the road be completed at an additional cost of JD1 million.

Rifai paid a visit to the industrial estate in the Maan Development Area, where he was briefed on investment projects launched there.

These include factories for glass, tannery, fertilisers, electric meters, steel and solar energy production, according to Mohammad Salem Turk, the director general of Maan Development Company.

The company is establishing additional hangars on an area of 12,000 square metres to attract more investment, Turk said.

jordantimes