Women of Baalbaq protest against the suspension of construction licenses

The ‘Baalbaq Women’s Committee staged a protest yesterday in front of the Serail of Baalbak municipality requesting the resolve of the problem resulting from the suspension by the Ministry of Interior of all construction licenses granted by the municipality. The Women committee called for a fair solution noting that nearly 65% of people of the town work in the construction industry which makes up their basic livelihoods. In its statement, the committee appealed to the Minister of Interior to repeal what it described as an unjustifiable decision, adding that the majority of land in the Baalbak area is not officially registered with the Urban Planning Department and therefore, it is impossible for owners to request the issue of official notification of registration from UPD. The statement went on to say that the only realistic solution to the present impasse is to authorize municipalities to resume issuing construction permits until the matter is resolved in Parliament. Finally, women protesters warned that they will step up their action if their demands were not met. (Al Diyar, 27 May 2015)