- Title: Egypt rushes to build public housing for new capital employees
- Date: 19th August 2021
- Summary: CAIRO, EGYPT (AUGUST 16, 2021) (REUTERS) DRIVING SHOT OF BUILDINGS DRAPED WITH EGYPTIAN FLAGS IN NEW BADR CITY VARIOUS OF BUILDINGS IN NEW BADR CITY DRAPED WITH EGYPTIAN FLAG AND BANNER OF EGYPTIAN PRESIDENT, ABDEL FATTAH AL-SISI VARIOUS OF BALCONIES IN BUILDINGS GREENERY / BUILDINGS IN BACKGROUND VARIOUS OF CARS PARKED IN FRONT OF BUILDINGS MOVING SHOT WALKING INTO ENTRANCE OF FURNISHED APARTMENT (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) HEAD OF BADR CITY DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY, AMMAR MANDOUR, SAYING: "This is the first phase in the housing project for the civil servants of the New Administrative Capital which includes 376 buildings and 9,024 units. Of course this is a huge number and the challenge was how to finish this large number within the specified time frame, while maintaing the quality of the interior finishing. This was a difficult equation but we solved it because we worked through our holidays and through the coronavirus pandemic, when we implemented several precautionary measures. We also implemented a shift system with the companies working, three or four shifts at a time, some days and some nights. This was all so we can finish construction before the workers move to the new capital." CURTAIN OPENING / VIEW OF BUILDING OUTSIDE WITH BANNER OF SISI VARIOUS OF FURNISHED INTERIOR OF APARTMENT (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) HEAD OF THE BADR CITY DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY, AMMAR MANDOUR, SAYING: "One of our main missions and what we were trying to achieve before time ran out, was not to be an obstacle for the moving process of civil servants to the new capital. We could not have accepted a situation where the president for example would order the move in August or October, and for us not to be ready by then. And not just housing, but also full furnishings, such as electricity, water, gas, telephone lines. When you enter an apartment, you see that the telephone is working, the internet is working, natural gas is working. Of course, electricity and water are essentials." VIEW OF BEDROOM IN APARTMENT VARIOUS OF APARTMENT BATHROOM VARIOUS OF BEDROOMS VIEW OF GARDENS IN FRONT OF BUILDINGS SIGN READING (Arabic): "URBAN COMMUNITY'S AUTHORITY" (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) DEPUTY HEAD OF THE NEW URBAN COMMUNITIES AUTHORITY, ABDUL MUTTALIB MAMDOUH, SAYING: "I wanted to bring you here, in addition to the site we visited that was inaugurated by president Sisi, so I can show you that we are working on all the phases. We opened one site and are preparing to open more. This place was built under presidential decree in October 2020, to build this city, the Capital Garden's city. It is east of the regional road and the civil servants' compound is to the south of the road. There is a monorail station parallel to these compounds and it will service the two sections. These units here have been reserved, the price of one unit was 225,000 Egyptian pounds (14,340.16 USD) and when you walk in you'll find that it is fully finished for people with a limited income. Every civilian has the right to an apartment. This was an achievement to be done in nine months and all the cities have the same caliber projects being implemented." VARIOUS OF FINISHED BUILDINGS
- Embargoed: 2nd September 2021 11:28
- Keywords: Badr City Civil Servants Egypt Homes New Capital
- Location: CAIRO, EGYPT
- City: CAIRO, EGYPT
- Country: Egypt
- Topics: Middle East,Society/Social Issues
- Reuters ID: LVA001EQY3ZH3
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Just outside a new capital in the desert east of Cairo, the Egyptian government has been racing to ready new homes for thousands of mid-level civil servants who are expected to move to the city.
Egypt turned to private developers to build pricier residential districts within the grandiose new capital, which is designed for more than six million people to live in over 168 square kilometres beyond Cairo's outer reaches.
The city is the most prominent of a series of mega-projects and infrastructure schemes pursued by President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who has said that its opening planned for later this year would mark the birth of a new republic.
Though government ministries are largely complete, other areas of the new city and transport links are still under construction. Some Egyptians worry it will be inaccessible and unaffordable for them.
The government began building public housing in Badr City, close to the new capital's borders, ahead of the arrival of the first civil servants, officials told reporters on a tour of the site on Monday (August 16).
On Saturday (August 14), Sisi inaugurated 9,024 housing units in the now-completed first phase. Another 4,704 units are under construction in a second phase.
"The housing is ready. Not just the housing, but also the infrastructure, the electricity, water, gas, telephone lines," Ammar Mandour, head of the Badr City Development Authority, told reporters.
The sprawling complex of public housing in Badr City is made up of uniform six-storey apartment blocs, with four apartments on each floor. Many were draped with banners the height of the buildings and bearing the photograph of the president.
The government late last year began building public housing within the capital itself, said Abdul Muttalib Mamdouh, deputy head of the state New Urban Communities Authority.
He said construction works initially began with 100,000 units and, counting four people per family, that this meant there was now housing available for 400,000 people, adding that the delivery of the first units would start in December.
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