Speaker of the House of Representatives Hanafy Gebaly has called on MPs to take into consideration discussions of specialized committees probing a bill submitted by the government to legalize and reconcile some building violations.

He asked the MPs to review goals of the government and its aspirations regarding the draft law.

Addressing a plenary session earlier Sunday, Gebaly told the MPs that he had received a report on the bill, which aims to seal some gaps in the current legislation on illegal building.

The House speaker touched upon a national plan to establish smart cities, aka fourth generation cities, as one way of increasing populated areas and attracting more investments. This would undoubtedly contribute to sustainable urban development, he noted.

He cited the New Mansoura City, which was inaugurated by President Abdel Fattah El Sisi less than a week ago, believing it is the “fruit” of a comprehensive development plan of the New Republic.

Gebaly voiced appreciation for Sisi, whom he called “the leader of the development process on the land of Egypt”.

While working on its urban expansion plan, the government has been acting to counter wildcat building, which greatly harms the image of a civilized Egypt, the House speaker said.

The government, he added, has been acting to demolish some of the illegal hazardous buildings and reconcile others, before finally submitting the new bill, aimed at making it easier for owners of illegal buildings to go legit.

The bill has already been given a final nod by the Senate, Gebaly said, urging the joint House committee tasked with studying the new legislation to, please, take into consideration “the exceptional nature” of the reconciliation of illegal buildings and the relevant economic and social aspects of the violators, while preventing the prevalence of building violations in a way that would undermine State sovereignty.

Source: State Information Service Egypt