This week, Cairo Governorate will amend some clauses of the contracts concluded with cleaning companies in 2002. The values of the contracts of Ama Arab Environment Company (AAEC), which serves the western and northern areas, and FCC, which serves the eastern region, will increase by 40%, a source at Cairo Governorate said. Speaking exclusively to Al-Masry Al-Youm, the source said the amendment aims to improve those companies' performance and achieve better efficiency in the removal of garbage in Cairo. According to the new amendment, the garbage will be collected from side streets every day after it was collected every several days. In the new contracts, the governorate will have the right to levy fines at the companies on the same day on which it informs them of their transgression. According to the previous contracts, fines were imposed 24 hours after the transgression had been reported in case the company did not remove the garbage. The source explained that the clauses related to the number of workers and equipment for each area was amended. If the companies did not comply with the agreed-upon number of workers, the governorate would immediately levy a fine on them. Cairo Governor Abdel Azim Wazir has allocated a reward of up to LE 1,000 for whoever seizes a vehicle getting rid of garbage in the streets. He has also allocated a LE 250-reward for whoever (the district, the police or any ordinary citizen) seizes carts disposing of garbage in the streets. The source added that the new contracts cancelled the companies' weekly and official holidays so that Cairo streets may remain clean. The shift works in neighborhoods will be from 6 am to 3 pm and from 3 pm to 11 pm. The new amendments will be put into effect two and a half months after the signing of these contracts, the source said. The source added that the governor has decided to establish a central management unit under his direct supervision to monitor the state of the streets. The source then affirmed that 152 is the hot line of Cairo Cleanliness and Beautification Authority to receive any report about violations. In addition, citizens can call this number to call for a vehicle to take their construction waste rather than dumping them in the street. People can call the person in charge of each area on the 22406242 for the eastern area, 27926040 for the western area and 26859773 for the northern area. These numbers are active 24 hours a day. The source said that people should cooperate with the officials by changing their behavior, thus dumping garbage in the right places and not in public streets.
