Home
Posted 23/08/2011 04:00 PM
BAGHDAD (Reuters): In Iraq, where it can take a paved street for a whole year the government plans to establish a line of high speed trains compete with billions of dollars of Japan's rapid train named Baltalegh. But the project met with skepticism by many Iraqis who find it difficult to get even the basic needs of electricity.
The railway project, which cost ten billion dollars and that links Baghdad to the provinces of the south is the latest in a series of proposals for huge infrastructure offered by the Iraqi government in a bid for the reconstruction of the Member State of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, after years of war.
Iraq needs for development in all parts of the country where the accumulated debris of demolished buildings abound after more than eight years on the US-led invasion in 2003.
Face most of the population of Iraq who suffer from a lack of jobs and are concerned about the food rations and security in a severe shortage of water and access to electricity only a few hours a day.
And the streets of Baghdad want to paving and filled with drilling resulted from the explosions and the walls erected to protect the buildings from the blast.
Ahmed Saleh, an architect, "The government can not even set up projects much easier than the railway line." "The road to the airport they are talking about three years ago is still in poor condition."
*****Some analysts said that the government is drowning in wishes and refuses to acknowledge that the lack of funding and technical capacity and the continuing violence of the factors that put an end to development and foreign investment.*****
Violence has dropped significantly since the sectarian conflict that reached its peak in 2006 and 2007, but the attacks, bombings and assassinations almost daily make the cost of security is still a large part of the costs of foreign investment.
While the flow of oil investment over the country complain that investors in other sectors of the bureaucracy. And help the political conflict within the government to disrupt projects in areas such as electricity and telecommunications.
Yahya al-Kubaisi analyst Iraqi Center for Strategic Studies said that these projects are difficult to implement on the ground and they are just dreams and wishes of government officials.
And rebuild the roads of Iraq and the transport system is vital for foreign companies to transfer the equipment at the time being to develop the oil sector.
He hopes that Iraq's third largest of oil reserves in the world in the reconstruction of the country using the oil revenues which account for more than 95 percent of the income of the state.
But Iraq has little public transport and depend mainly on taxis and minibuses, dilapidated railway lines linking the provinces.
An official from the Ministry of Transportation that Baghdad signed a memorandum of understanding with the French engineering group Alstom in June to build a railway line along the 650 km and the train quickly.
Was also signed a preliminary agreement to build a metro line to the ground in Baghdad, compared to $ 1.5 billion, with Alstom as well as in May. It is expected to be completed the first part of the project in 2014.
And large-scale projects as well as Sadr City, a project which includes a plan to build 150 thousand apartments, shops, parks and cinemas over ten years. And announced the project for the first time in 2008, but Iraq is not granted after a deal.
The government says that projects such as the express train and metro city as possible, blaming the slow implementation of the budget shortfall.
He said Iraqi Planning Minister Ali Shukri, the projects presented by the ministries of serious and achievable. He added that the plans and estimated costs ready but the problem faced by all ministries are funding.
*****The budget for Iraq for this year's 82.6 billion dollars calculated on the basis of an average oil price at $ 76.50 a barrel and a deficit of $ 13.4 billion.
The Ministry of Finance's budget for 2012 with a volume of 98.3 billion dollars according to the price of oil at $ 85 a barrel and a deficit of $ 13.7 billion. *****And still waiting for approval of the Cabinet and Parliament.
Shukri said that the government contracts tend to divide the payments over a period of time interest rate in order to move forward in the implementation of such projects.*****
And looks forward to Baghdad as well as the subway system.
And renewed plans by the subway back to the eighties of the last century, some three years ago and so far has not been completed after the design of the metro.
Sabir al-Issawi said the mayor of Baghdad, said part of the budget of 2012 was directed to fund the metro, which is estimated to cost between three and four billion dollars, and he urged patience, saying that infrastructure projects take a long time in the world.
*****He added that the preparation of large projects, even in developed countries take between three or four or five years, stressing "it is a matter of time."*****
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
