Engineer Samir Saeed Abdullah, Minister of Infrastructure and Urban Development of River Nile State, in an interview
*It is considered one of the important ministries and serves as the backbone for the growth and development of the state in all fields. The work of the ministry is directly related to everything related to the livelihood and service of citizens and state institutions, both public and private. Perhaps one of the most important challenges facing the work of the ministry was the displacement resulting from the war and the overpopulation of the state by expatriates, both citizens and traders, and businesses were an additional burden on the work and skills of the ministry. Ministry Below are some clarifications from the words of Engineer Samir Saeed, Minister of Infrastructure and Urban Development of River Nile State, in which he talks about the future vision of the ministry and its activities in the recent period:*
*Q1/ What are the tasks and skills of the Ministry and the following activities?*
The Ministry of Infrastructure and Urban Development is a service ministry that contributes significantly to the state's economic budget. It is the basis of all the systems that make up the state, including services, health and education. It is directly linked to everything related to serving citizens and public and private institutions of the state.
*Q2/What are the ministry's projects and plans for the current year and what has been accomplished?*
We have an ambitious plan for this year, but the circumstances of the country have prevented its implementation due to the budget oriented towards the war and the state of emergency, and the budget we are counting on has been completely frozen for development projects, with the exception of urgent projects financed by certain organizations.
*Q3/ Tell us about the impact of the war on the performance of the ministry*?
The impact of the war was significantly felt across all services due to the tripling of the population, which resulted in a reduction in existing services including housing, water, electricity and roads.
*Q4/ Explain to us the nature of the challenges and obstacles facing the work of the ministry*?
Money is the backbone of development, and the ministry needs a very large budget to carry out urban development, and we are now working only according to the jurisprudence of necessity.
*Q5/ What is the status of the work at Atbara airport and what has been accomplished?*
The airport is a real complement to the development of the State and will experience a major economic and urban boom thanks to the additional elements of the residential plans around the airport. The work is nearing completion. The runway, the concourse and the tower have been rehabilitated by 80%. We call on certain contributors to accelerate the implementation of their commitment so that the work on the airport is completed on time.
*Q6/What about internal methods and treatments for the fall semester?*
The state has entered into a partnership with Zadna Company to rehabilitate the internal roads of Atbara and Al-Amr, which are among the largest cities receiving arrivals, as well as to rehabilitate the roads connecting the airport to the Atbara and Khaliwa bridges.
*Q7/ What is the Ministry's plan to address overpopulation and economic activity in light of the increasing delegations of individuals and businesses to the State?*
These days, the ministry is seeing a large influx of requests for residential land from citizens, and we now have housing plans being distributed in the localities of Al-Damer and Atbara. Work is underway to accommodate expatriate citizens and traders. support for vertical expansion to reduce costs and accommodate the largest number of beneficiaries.
*Q8/ Tell us about the Ministry’s partnerships at the central and organizational levels for the implementation and success of projects?*
Most of the projects of the ministry are carried out through partnerships with organizations. We also have coordination with the center regarding water projects and, thank God, we only have the resources. We are facing the problem of connecting networks due to the lack of pipelines due to the shutdown of factories in Khartoum. We are looking to partner with investors to establish pipeline factories in the state to cover the needs.
*Q9/ What are the entities directly related to the work of the ministry?* The Ministry of Infrastructure has a direct link with all ministries and systems of the state. For example, the investment system depends on us mainly in the distribution of land. and services, as well as the social system which concerns the service centers for citizens and expatriates and the provision of services, as well as the rest of the health and other systems are coordinated with all these systems through the State Land Planning Committee. , and the ministry has the highest praise for the start and success of all projects.
*Q10/Does the Ministry's revenue cover the needs of urban development projects in the State?*
The Ministry's revenues are represented by land and some similar revenues from surveying, engineering management, road and bridge management, building management and urban planning. The Ministry's revenues represent a percentage of the State's revenues. The party responsible for financing development projects is the Ministry of Environment. Finance and we represent the advisory body for the projects. The Ministry's mission is to prepare and certify land and provide technical supervision.
*Q11/Does the Ministry have housing projects to accommodate expatriates?*
Currently, the ministry is distributing housing plans to citizens, and the majority of expatriates are considered former citizens of the state who have extended families, and their situations will be addressed through the surplus of the housing plan, and then the processing will be done for the rest of the expatriates.
*Q12 Vertical expansion saves space and service costs. What is the ministry's vision in this regard?*
Vertical expansion
This avoids wastage of land and we have already started reducing the area of residential land for housing schemes to accommodate more eligible beneficiaries and their families and provide shared services such as electricity, water and sanitation. Vertical expansion also reduces costs. and also provides security protection.
*Q13 Why is the distribution of housing plans delayed and the years are accumulating?*
The distribution of housing plans requires a lot of effort, starting with providing the land and making it habitable. This takes a lot of time, and sometimes the land is expropriated for faltering projects and converted into residential land. In addition, some land is privately owned which requires negotiations. and the settlements must be abandoned in accordance with the law, and all these things take long periods of time.
*Y14/ Tell us about the role of the media in reflecting the activities and projects of the State?*
We have distinguished media professionals and journalists who follow and reflect the activities of the ministry with full transparency and credibility. Without them, our efforts would have been in vain.
*Q15/What is the future vision of the State Ministry of Urban Development?*
The Ministry is currently adopting draft development plans for all cities, accompanied by estimates of the services required over the next 25 years. The plan also includes the shape of buildings and the distribution of all service sectors, including agriculture, industry and others. in a system that adapts to changes. The plan will soon see the light of day, through which we will be able to determine the needs of the population, which paves the way for the development of the rest of the ministries. Its plans are in line with the Ministry's guidelines.
*Q16/Final message to the River Nile State community?*
We pay tribute to the citizen of the state and call on him to preserve the public road, not to extend it, and to remove all obstacles to respect for road partners, as well as to open natural sewers and not to throw waste and construction waste inside them, so as not to cause general damage that is difficult to avoid.
