Consultant and engineer Mamdouh Hamza questioned the government's intention to give only 58 acres of land at Imbaba Airport [Cairo] to investors as part of a comprehensive enhancement plan of Northern Giza. He affirmed the area that would be offered was larger than that, as the Ministry of Housing announced this project in its annual book and did not mention the planning of some specific areas measuring 80 acres in the airport land (the very areas on sale). In a symposium staged by the popular committee formed to defend Imbaba Airport land on Sunday evening, Mr. Hamza said: "At first, I wanted to know what the government would do with this land to evaluate the feasibility of this project. I agree with the Ministry of Housing's planners from a scientific point of view, as I think it is feasible to build bridges in the area and open new corridors. However, I disagree with them when it comes to forcing people out of their land and give it to investors to cover the project cost." "The planners have not heeded some specific areas" Hamza added. "These areas, which will be sold to investors, are 80 acres wide and not 58 as the government is alleging. Moreover, the planners did not respect the demographic density and I think, as an engineer and consultant, that the Ministry's planning is even more disorganized than the area itself." Hamza affirmed that the planning served the interests of a specific category of people living in the cities of Sheikh Zeid and 6 of October and owning villas on Imbaba's desert inland. He called on the government to collect LE 10,000 from these villa owners, instead of selling the land, to spend this money on development, as the project serves their interests, he affirmed. Hamza called on Housing Minister Ahmed el-Maghrabi to have an "intellectual match" with him and said he would try to persuade him of the feasibility of his own alternative way of developing the area. He was confident he would convince the minister, especially as the latter does not have any personal interest in the project and is known for his fairness, Hamza said.
