Proposed amendments to the construction law are designed to regulate and supervise construction works, encourage citizens to attain licenses for their buildings and ease burdens for real estate developers, said Minister of Housing, Utilities and Urban Communities Ibrahim Mehleb. The remarks follow a recent meeting Mehleb attended with a committee tasked with revising the 2008 housing and construction law, according to a statement from the ministry on Wednesday. Head of the ministry's housing and utility sector Engineer Nafisa Mahmoud was quoted in the statement as saying that the amendments would revise the incumbent article on insurance policy, and extend the validity of the construction licenses from one year to four. Mahmoud, according to the statement, added that the committee is currently studying issuing a booklet that details all the necessary requirements for obtaining a construction license which she said would "reduce time and effort for licence seekers." She also added that they are reviewing establishing an interest-free fund for financing maintenance and repair works of condemned buildings. The minister stressed the importance of concluding the revision of amendments and preparing a draft law in no more than four months, in order to see it addressed by the next parliament.
