Under the Patronage of H.E Prime Minister Nuri Al- Maliki
NIC Celebrates the Ground Breaking Event for Bismayah New City Project in Iraq
Under the patronage of H. E Prime Minister Mr. Nuri Kamil Al- Maliki, NIC had laid down the foundation stone for Bismayah New City Housing project of 100 thousand units with full services which is considered as the biggest housing project in Iraq and which is part of the big project of building One Million Housing Units all over Iraq adopted by NIC.
Iraqi Prime Minister, Mr. Nuri Al- Maliki said during his speech for the occasion that Bismayah is a modern city that is to be constructed according to the best international standards and shall be an example to follow by all other provinces and it is a start of the big national project to solve the housing crisis in the country, indicating that the government made a lot of efforts to support the project through specifying the appropriate prices for the housing units.
He noted that the government has a tendency to build 200 thousand housing units to be distributed free to the poor and the owners of slums to address the phenomenon of land transgressors, calling on relevant authorities to expedite the necessary procedures to set up these projects and create an environment appropriate to them.
For his part, NIC Chairman Dr. Sami Raouf al-Araji said that Bismayah project is the first step on the road of the national housing project drawn in accordance with the Five-Year Plan (2010 – 2014), according to which Iraq’s need for housing units is estimated with two million housing units, adding that laying the foundation stone of this is the result of the efforts of two years of the technical and financial and legal negotiations with more than 150 international companies that bid for the implementation of this project, stressing that the NIC had paid great attention to housing sector because of its important economic and social role.
Dr. Al- Araji also explained that the relevant committee of the construction of one million housing units whose membership includes representatives from most of the ministries and relevant agencies, particularly the Ministry of Construction and Housing had a big role to study the bids, put the technical determinants and discuss every detail in order to be housing units according to the best modern standards appropriate to Iraq climate and social circumstances, as well as providing all the required services to the city inhabitants.
He also said that the NIC had reached in negotiations with the implementing company a common ground acceptable to both parties of the project in order to be implemented according to the best formulas and timetable compressed-standing seven years and begin to receive first batch of units at a rate of (1800) apartment per month starting from the month (28) of the roll until the completion of the construction of the project and thus the NIC may have contributed to achieving a major breakthrough for the rebuilding of Iraq and the national economy, and expressed his thanks and appreciation to the Prime Minister for his big and continuing support for this project and NIC other projects, which will see the light soon on the road to rebuilding Iraq, in addition to all the ministries and entities which contributed directly or indirectly in order to show the project on the ground, particularly the ministries of finance, construction, housing, agriculture, municipalities and trade, higher education and scientific research, defense, interior and oil, the environment and the Baghdad Governorate Office.
The Minister of Construction and Housing Mohamed Darraji in a speech during the ceremonial that the ministry would be committed to open a road from the center of the city of Baghdad to the city of Bismayah from the allocations of the Ministry and the provision of a special committee for the residing engineer in participation with the National Investment Commission to monitor the quality of the project, reporting that Bismayah New City project shall cover (5%) of the country’s need of housing units.
For his part, Chairman of board of directors of Hanwa group assured in a speech that the company will use the latest technologies in the construction field to make Bismayah residential city one of the most modern cities , presenting an overview of the projects implemented by the company over 60 years in various sectors, noting that this project is the largest residential project to the Korean company outside its country, as the project will enhance the bilateral relations between the two friendly peoples.
The Korean Deputy Minister of earth, water and transport as a representative of the South Korean government for the occasion gave a speech through which he showed his government’s commitment to support the project and as a distinct symbol of the Iraqi Korean economic relations
Bismayah New City project will be implemented on an area of (8000) acres, and had been planned for to be home to (600000 people) six hundred thousand people, and the city shall cover all requirements of the modern integrated ones according to the latest specifications and international standards with integrated infrastructures starting from the integrated road network into stable electrical energy with the provision of water, as well as health, cultural, entertainment and education facilities.
The celebration was attended by a number Parliament members, deputy ministers, businessmen and representatives of organizations and unions, as well as the elders of the area.