Cabinet approves plan to utilise land on Amman-Zarqa highway

AMMAN — The Cabinet on Sunday endorsed a plan that seeks to regulate the usage of plots of land on the Amman-Zarqa highway that were used by the phosphate company in the 1990s for mining purposes.

Municipal Affairs Minister Walid Masri said a technical committee with representatives from different public institutions, which was formed in 2011, recommended that the land be used for different purposes by the Greater Amman Municipality and Ruseifa Municipality.

At a press conference on Sunday evening, Masri told reporters that 1,555 dunums of this land will be used for development purposes.

As part of the plan, the Amman Car Auction Park, which is currently near the Sports City, will be moved to that area, while another section of it will be turned into a race track.

In addition, part of the land will be under the authority of Ruseifa city in Zarqa Governorate to be used for investment purposes and public parks.

During the hour-long press conference, Government Spokesperson Mohammad Momani said that the shipping sector has incurred substantial losses due to the Syrian crisis, witnessing a 42 per cent drop in revenues.

The land transport sector alone has suffered annual losses in revenues estimated at JD17 million, Momani added.

He also announced the endorsement of several bills and bylaws, such as regulations on the use of Royal family photos, which prohibits using them for commercial purposes or to campaign for elections. 

The Council of Ministers also endorsed a bylaw that allows the Ministry of Health to provide transport services for public sector nurses, in addition to amendments to the Judicial Council by-law that stipulates the immediate appointment of graduates of the Future Judges programmes based on current vacancies.

In addition, the Cabinet approved the mandating reasons for a draft law that stipulates the establishment of an association for mosque imams.