Casablanca- A budget of 2.82 billion dirhams will be spent on the upgrading of the Grand Casablanca and improving the living environment of its inhabitants in 2014 according to MAP.
Following the speech of King Mohammed VI at the opening of the fall session of Parliament, a reflection device was set up with three major steps. According to the governor of the prefecture of Casablanca, Khalid Safir, this includes a comprehensive assessment of the city’s problems, the establishment of a priority actions plan and, and the launching of this plan for the city in long-term (until 2030).
Some actions are aimed at getting rid of Casablanca’s slums, finalize financing plans, and launch developmental projects such as the Metro, tram, Bus-Tram integration, the installation of household waste plants, and the upgrade of roads and highways. These projects will be carried out in order to encourage investment, which will support the financial sector, allow for the renovation of the Mohammed V airport, and implement advanced regionalization.
"In the short term, feasible projects are being developed quickly in order to give credibility to the approach, obtain the citizens’ support, and to win businesses’ and investor’s trust to simplify procedures and to establish a framework for consultation,’’ added Mr. Safir according to MAP.
“This program is ambitious and will be completely realized in 2014, with projects in the entire region and in all sectors. The public transport project will be given 200 million dirhams and will be provided with 200 additional buses,” the president of the city council, Mohamed Sajid, was quoted by MAP as saying.
The Ministry of the Interior supports this program as a priority. They have released a special contribution of 1.16 billion dirhams, including 240 million dirhams for the prefectural and provincial councils of Grand Casablanca. About one half of this is to be used for urban upgrading and enhancing security while improving traffic.
40 million dirhams will be used to provide the city with surveillance cameras, 20 million for the installation and the implementation of a central traffic control, and 50 million for transport equipment. This equipment will improve police intervention capacity and enhance the security of all Casablanca inhabitants, stated the mayor.
A budget of 365 million dirhams will be allocated to the modernization of road maintenance for both main and auxiliary roads. 245 million dirhams will be allocated to reorganize the Arab League park and city center (35 MDH), to develop green spaces of the city (115 MDH), rehabilitate the Ain Sebaa zoo (65 MDH), and to modernize of the Mohammed V sports complex (30 MDH).
620 million dirhams will be used to improve the living condition of the suburbs of Casablanca. Priority implementation will be given to the Douars Mkanssa, Sidi Belahcen, and Lahraouine districts. This will be carried out thanks to the contribution from the general state budget, the city council, the National Human Development Initiative (NHRI), and local communities.
The city council and Lydec (delegated manager of water and electricity distribution) agreed on a specific priority action program with a budget of 560 MDH. This includes 138 MDH to improve public street lighting and 19 MDH to improve drinking water access and electricity for 1,000 homes, stated the mayor.
250 MDH will be allocated to improve the sanitation system, including subdivisions not yet connected to the main system. 119 MDH will be used for new operations to connect water, electricity, and sanitation services for the douars (neighborhoods) of the suburbs of Casablanca, which include Mediouna, Mohammedia and Nouaceur.
Additionally, 480 MDH will be paid to new contractors for the improvement and strengthening of waste management and cleanliness. The aim is for the eradication of slums and relocation of their occupants. 9,250 households are identified as priorities and will be immediately evacuated.