CAIRO: Ali Laban, member of the Muslim Brotherhood's parliamentary bloc, asked Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif to remove Cairo governor Abdel Azim Wazir from his position, following the collapse of two sections in the Bab El-Shaaria section of Geish Street. Last Thursday a 10-meter wide section of Geish Street in Bab El-Shaaria collapsed due to work on the new underground metro line in the area. No injuries were reported, but two parked cars fell into the 15-meter deep pit at the time of collapse. Five other cars were rescued before falling in, the Middle East News Agency reported. Two days later, another seven-meter wide section collapsed on the same street, causing a nearby mosque to nearly collapse and shaking several buildings. "The governor does not give [mosques] and other religious places the sanctity they deserve, said Laban. "In addition he does not value human life or private property. This is also a waste of public funds since the tunnel collapsed. The MP also referred to the Duweiqa disaster last year, when a massive rockslide flattened the shantytown killing hundreds, alleging that the governor was extremely slow in giving the survivors alternative homes. Furthermore, Laban claimed that Wazir had neglected reports and studies presented to him regarding unsafe shantytowns such as Duweiqa. "Why did they violate the law and court orders and demolished the homes of the poor but ignored homes in areas like Duweiqa and other squatters? he asked. Laban called for an emergency meeting with a specialized committee to investigate this issue on condition that the religious committee attends this meeting to find a solution for the Emad El-Islam mosque on Geish Street, which nearly collapsed because of what he called "government abuse. Laban expects the prime minister to respond to him within 30 days, according to Article 182 of the PA's by-laws.
