Informed sources said that President Mubarak received a report from the Central Auditing Organization (CAO) days ago concerning the allocation and selling of state lands for agriculture purposes.
An official source, who requested anonymity, told Al-Masry Al-Youm that the CAO submitted the report to Mubarak ahead of his meeting with ministers last Monday. The report included the issue of allocation and selling of state lands, as well as violations related to contracts signed among businessmen, private companies, and the General Authority for Reconstruction and Agricultural Development (GARAD). Some companies breached contracts and built housing developments, changing the purpose from agriculture to construction.
According to the report, these developments use an excessive amount of ground water; one feddan of land on a golf course in such developments necessitates a quantity of water that could cover seven feddans of cultivated lands. The report was critical of the cabinet’s defense of the Sulaymaneya development contract despite the violations it includes.
This has caused confusion inside both the ministries of agriculture and irrigation, after they were instructed by president Mubarak to attend to the issue before the beginning of parliamentary and presidential elections, according to sources. The issue has become top priority for the GARAD’s meeting, which four ministers attended for the first time.
Ibrahim el-Agami, executive chairman of the GARAD, said violations on the Cairo-Alexandria Desert Road have been discussed and counted. In some cases, construction has taken place on 7 percent of land originally allocated to agriculture. Possible legal proceedings regarding these developments will be reviewed by the cabinet during their next meeting.
El-Agami added that 35 housing developments along the road will be examined and violations referred to the GARAD board of directors.
Translated from the Arabic Edition.
