Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi opened on Sunday the third phase of Al-Asmarat housing project in Moqattam, Cairo, which is being constructed as part of continued government efforts to to eliminate all types of informal settlements. Al-Asmarat 3 would become home to thousands of residential units with full utilities and facilities and a service complex that would serve around 100,000 people living in all three stages of the housing project The third stage includes 7440 units and several facilities, including playgrounds, health units, a parking space accommodating 9,000 cars as well as plans to construct a church and mosque. The inauguration ceremonies are attended by Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouli, Parliament Speaker Ali Abdel Aal and a number of ministers. Authorities have removed a total of 14,964 illegal buildings, almost half of which were built on state-owned lands during the period from 25 March to 7 July, the cabinet said last week. Meanwhile, Housing Minister Assem Al-Gazzar said that the issue of unsafe informal settlements is among the most critical facing the state, adding that the government has worked on addressing the issue through its Informal Settlements Development Fund (ISDF). The minister said that 250,000 residential units are currently being established at a cost of 61 billion Egyptian pounds, and that 610,000 social housing residential units have been constructed at a cost of90 billion pounds. The minister added that the construction of 750,000 residential units under the country's social housing scheme is currently underway at a cost of EGP 145 billion, and that more work is underway to construct 1 million residential units at an estimated cost of EGP 200 billion. El-Sisi has ordered the government to open registration for citizens in the unprivileged areas of Zelzal 1 and Zelzal 2 to receive new residential units. The president asked Defence Minister Mohamed Zaki to allocate a plot to establish a new residential city for Zelzal's citizens and others seeking relocation.
