Dozens of people hurled stones at the gates of a fertilizer factory in the Tebbeen region of Helwan, Wednesday, protesting the strong odors emanating from the factory. Anti-riot police broke up the protest after a vehicle was destroyed and pedestrians were injured, said security forces. Residents of Helwan complain that the emissions from the cement and fertilizer factories force them to close their windows all day, prevent them from hanging their clothes out to dry in the sun and cause disease. The government previously announced a plan to relocate the cement, fertilizer and iron factories to other areas over ten year period.. Ahmed Haggag, an investment affairs consultant for the Helwan governorate said the National Cement Company approved the relocation plan to Beni Suef with an implementation period of five years. The guidelines of the relocation are currently being prepared. The governorate informed the factories that after the relocation, the land will be used for housing, tourism and other services, stated Haggag, adding that the governorate was about to conclude a similar agreement with the cement producer Tora Company in Helwan. The first stage of relocations will include cement, iron, coke, starch and glucose factories, which should free approximately 1,500 feddans. The second stage will free an estimated 5,000 feddans in the area. Translated from the Arabic Edition.
