Cabinet Approves Installation of High-Voltage Lines in Metn
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
Cabinet approved on Tuesday a bill on the installation of high-voltage electricity lines in the North Metn towns of Mansourieh and Ain Saadeh, reported LBC television.
It added that cabinet also approved the formation of a committee that would oversee the implementation of the decision.
An agreement was also reached to provide compensation to those affected by the installation of the power lines, reported MTV.
Prime Minister Najib Miqati called on the ministers at the beginning of the session to prepare all the files that the MPs will address during a parliamentary session to assess the cabinet’s performance on 17-19 April.
“These session would be an opportunity (for the cabinet) to shed the light on the accomplishments carried out by the government,” Miqati told the ministers.
According to the National News Agency, Minister of State Salim Karam, Labor Minister Salim Jreissati, Sports and Youth Minister Faisal Karami, and Economy Minister Nicolas Nahhas didn’t attend the session.
Media reports had predicted that the cabinet would agree on the installation of the high-voltage electricity lines, saying that it will likely adopt tough measures in its implementation, including providing a cover by the security forces to install the lines despite the rejection of the residents.
An Nahar newspaper reported that the ministries of finance, energy, and interior along with the Council of Development and Reconstruction will discuss the project to install 220 kilovolts.
The ministries, according to al-Liwaa newspaper, are waiting for the green light from the cabinet before launching the project.
An Nahar daily said the state will buy the property of the residents whose homes lie under the high-voltage electricity lines.
The Ministry of Energy demanded that the authorities swiftly install the power lines and use force to implement the decision assisted by the internal security forces, arguing that the electricity lines have no health risks on the residents.
The Council of Development and Reconstruction revealed that ELEJECT Company, which won the tender, needs a 48-hours notification before kicking off the work.
The controversial plan seeks to connect a power plant in Mkalles to another in Bsalim to supply more power to the region.
However, the residents of the area argue that the project is dangerous on public health and call for the installation of the lines underground.
Sources told al-Liwaa newspaper that the government will also tackle the hospital tariffs, without discussing the appointment of top civil servants in administrative posts in state institutions.
According to the sources, the appointments will be on the agenda of the next cabinet session at the Baabda Palace.
The next cabinet session will take place on April 20 at the Grand Serail.
03 April 2012, 17:09
00
This is seriously deranged. High-voltage power lines have been banned in most countries, including Syria. They are proven to cause cancer, malformation in babies and a a slew of other horrific diseases. Only a backward country like a Lebanon and a corrupt government would install this type of power line.
03 April 2012, 17:11
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This is seriously deranged. High-voltage power lines have been banned in most countries, including Syria. They are proven to cause cancer, malformation in babies and a a slew of other horrific diseases. Only a backward country like a Lebanon and a corrupt government would install this type of power line.
03 April 2012, 17:27
03
It's funny that despite all the protests by the residents in the area, they are still forcing the issue and going on with the project. Had this been taking place over an area controlled by our lovely Hizbullah, would they have dared go on...like going forward with taking down all the illegal buildings in Hizbullah controlled areas near the airport and other places....Lebanon is an example of evolution, in nature only the strong survive, in Lebanon only those who have weapons survive...
Why won't the government just install the lines underground? It's less disruptive to nature, we won't have those ugly cables and towers to look at, and they will make the residents happy...The government is acting in spite, just to prove that they are not being forced into something else...Dear government, instead of acting strong in the more civilized areas of the country, go flex your muscles in areas that out of your control...Disgusting...
03 April 2012, 17:44
03
No wonder Christians in Lebanon feel that DHIMMITUDE is forced down their throats.
03 April 2012, 22:03
00
I have heard of "government of the people, by the people, for the people", but not of "government against the people". This is a classical example of politicians who are so out of touch that they do not find it necessary to listen to their constituents.
It is indeed strange that a government that is struggling hard to shed an already disastrous public image would be so insensitive to the demands of a large segment of the population.
This decision is not just insensitive, it is also extremely short-sighted.Throwing money on people by buying their property will not solve a problem but will certainly create a precedent and a costly one at that! From now on, will the government buy the property of every single Lebanese whose house happens to be under a high-voltage line?
Backing off would have been the smartest and certainly the cheapest solution. But who expects better from a government that seems to lack the capacity to connect with its most important asset, i.e. the people?
04 April 2012, 19:35
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The only hypocrites are people who subscribe blindly to political beliefs.
The people protesting those power lines have been protesting against their installation from the day the power plan was adopted, regardless of who adopted it and keeping in mind that ministers of power and energy have been M8 supporters and appointees since 2005. Change and Reform politicians were the ones protesting those lines when they were in opposition. What made them change their minds as soon as they took over the government? Who's the real hypocrite in this case?
