The Lebanese NGO Train-Train relies on the Council of the State
May Makarem | OLF
14/03/2015
The Lebanese NGO Train-Train association was a civil party by bringing proceedings to the State Council against Ziad Nasr, Chief rails in the Ministry of Public Works and Transportation. The association says aggrieved by disinterestedness and casually expressed by Mr. Nasr would have ignored a letter requests that were addressed to him. “We never get any answers to our five letters registered under the 1555 numbers, 1556, 1557, 1558 and 1559,” says Elias Maalouf, president and co-founder of the association, which sued through the lawyer Carla Michele Habre.
The complaint, registered under the number 1555, outlined a study for the reactivation of the line connecting Batroun and Jbeil. According to the president of the NGO, “the financing of the transaction will be provided by international organizations and members of the Lebanese diaspora.” It states that the 17.3 km of the railway, it lacks just two kilometers track. And if it is true that the cars are damaged, four locomotives, including three Polish stored at Naqoura-Beirut-Tripoli station are easily retrievable. “They should be repaired for $ 3,000 dollars each. »
Furthermore, a patron company, whose name was not disclosed by Mr. Maalouf, is committed to support the restoration work of the three stations, five bridges and small tunnel that dot the Jbeil-Batroun line. As for encroachment on public property, “the complications are not known since it is mainly a question of shelter for one or two cars, or hens,” says Elias Maalouf, adding that the project was seriously studied and that implementation requires only a few months.
The project still needs the approval of the government and the technical collaboration of the Directorate General of rails … but it opposes “total silence”.
Activation of Batroun – Jbeil online would allow large carrying capacity for a small footprint, says Maalouf. According to the association, the railway is a particularly advantageous asset against accidents and loss of time in congestion. So convenient and less painful way to get between the two cities.
In his letter (1556) dated November 3, 2014, the association is seeking a visit to the railway station in Beirut, in order to prepare cultural events, to discover the remains of this place full of memory and awareness Public on the railway heritage. “The stations are monuments that are part of the historical heritage and reflect a time that Lebanon should remain in the collective memory. »
In another letter, the Train-Train Association requested the temporary occupation of 20 July to 20 August next, of different sites of Beirut – Rayak online to organize cultural activities (concerts, theater, projection of documentary films) .
Again, radio silence, according to the NGO. “Mr. Nasr declaims the media that he supports our projects. Bizarre he never wanted to respond to all mail. “As to that other letter also remained unanswered, where Train-Train Lebanon requested permission to conduct a reconnaissance visit to Rayak station, maintenance workshops and historical plant. “For it is valuable heritage and the association wishes to preserve the scene by transforming into a museum. »
Unless it is seen by policy makers as a bulky relic of an archaic past, as more and more frequently in Lebanon when it comes to heritage …