MINISTRY : GAZA RECONSTRUCTION NEEDS 1.5 MILLION TONS OF CEMENT

Gaza, 19 Jumadil Awwal 1436/10 March 2015 (MINA) –  A minimum of a million and a half tons of cement is required to reconstruct what had been destroyed by Israel’s last summer offensive on blockaded Gaza, Head of the Consumer Protection Department at the Palestinian Ministry of Economy, Imad al-Baz, said Monday.

Addressing the economics committee at the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) during a session held in Gaza, Imad al-Baz said the quantity of cement dispatched to Gaza so far has reached 45,000 tons only, The Palestinian Information Center (PIC) quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting.

He said most of the cement delivered by the UNRWA has been allotted to rebuilding the UN-run schools and facilities destroyed in the Israeli war in addition to refugees whose homes were damaged in the same aggression.

Al-Baz stressed the need to respect the official tariffs delineated by the Ministry of National Economy, estimated at some 520 shekels per every single ton and 26 shekels per a cement bag.

He said the ministry issued instructions to never hand the cement bags to refugees except after checking their identity cards and having them sign a delivery notice. The ministry warned a tougher line would be adopted against any attempts to use the refugees’ cement bags as bargaining chips.

The ministry pledged to take the necessary legal procedures and actions against any violations emerging in the process of cement distribution.(T/P008/R03)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)