People's Assembly committees discuss issues related to the work of the ministries of electricity, local administration, culture, and a number of bills

Damascus-Sana

The "Economic and Energy Affairs", "Local Administration and Urban Development", "Education and Scientific Research" and "Constitutional and Legislative Affairs" committees in the People's Assembly today discussed issues related to the work of the ministries of electricity, local administration, the environment, culture and a number of bills.

Deputy Chairman of the Economic and Energy Affairs Committee, Muhammad Al-Misha’ali and members of the committee called for reducing the electric rationing hours and expediting the rehabilitation of the Tishreen station in Latakia and the thermal plant in Aleppo and expanding by establishing renewable energy stations, compensating for the shortage of meters and securing the salaries of the Ministry’s workers in the province of Raqqa through accreditation in the governorate itself.

In his response to Council members, Minister of Electricity Eng. Muhammad Zuhair Kharbutli stressed that the electric power generation process is experiencing a state of stability due to the increase in supplies for energy carriers and we are seeking to achieve justice by rationing and contracts were signed to secure new electric meters, revealing the start of the electronic payment test for electricity bills in Tartous and Lattakia provinces to reduce Congestion in the collection centers, and this experiment will be applied in the governorates of Homs and Aleppo during the coming days.

In a similar meeting, in the presence of the Minister of Local Administration and Environment Eng. Hussein Makhlouf, Chairman of the Local Administration and Urban Development Committee Ziyad Sukkari and a number of members of the committee presented questions about the experience of popular markets and the role of the ministry in controlling them, calling to address the shortage in hygiene mechanisms and compressors.

Minister Makhlouf pointed out that the number of squares designated for popular markets has reached 103 squares to date in 75 administrative units, while the Ministry is intensifying in cooperation with the Ministry of Internal Trade and Consumer Protection measures to tighten control over these markets for the success of the experiment, indicating that the reason for the lack of hygiene compressors is the difficulties of importing them.

The Education and Scientific Research Committee in the Council also held a meeting in the presence of the Minister of Culture, Muhammad Al-Ahmad, where the Chairman of the Committee, Dr. Abdul Salam Al-Dahmoush, and the members of the Committee called for the maintenance and restoration of cultural centers, questioning the extent of the damage caused by the terrorist attacks that targeted archaeological sites.

The Minister of Culture indicated that the number of cultural centers amounts to 75 centers and 4 cultural palaces and 500 million Syrian pounds were allocated to activate work in these centers, but that was postponed due to the Corona virus, while the ministry cooperates with the Ministry of Local Administration and Environment to restore and maintain cultural centers according to priority and continues to work on a project History of the war on Syria by archiving material in cinema, theater, book and heritage for future generations.

The Associate Director of Antiquities and Museums Eng. Mohamed Awad explained that great damage was caused to the Rusafa Castle and the Museum of Maarat al-Numan as a result of terrorism, explaining that restoration of the damage to the ruins and sites of Palmyra needs significant funding and an in-depth study to restore them according to special criteria, indicating that more than 70 pieces have been restored with national expertise .

Also, the Committee for Constitutional and Legislative Affairs held a meeting today chaired by the Vice-Chairman of the Committee Shehadeh Abu Hamed, during which it agreed that it is permissible to constitutionally consider the draft law that includes the creation of a public body of an administrative nature called the Public Authority for Fish Wealth and Aquatic Biology based in Lattakia Governorate and enjoys legal personality and financial and administrative independence, while it was postponed Examining the constitutionality of a child rights bill constitutionally with a view to studying it in depth.

Wasim Adawi