Engineer Sherif El-Sherbiny, Minister of Housing, Utilities, and Urban Communities, held an extensive meeting today with heads of new city authorities to discuss the implementation of Law No. 187 of 2023 concerning the reconciliation of building violations and regularization of conditions. The meeting was attended by key officials, including Dr. Walid Abbas, Deputy Chairman of the New Urban Communities Authority (NUCA) for Planning and Projects, and several senior figures from the ministry and NUCA.
Encouraging Compliance and Regularization
Minister El-Sherbiny announced a new initiative allowing citizens who have adhered to their building permits without violations to apply for increased building ratios for rooftop rooms. This application process will begin in December 2024, as a gesture of appreciation for their compliance with the building regulations.
He emphasized that the primary objective of the reconciliation law is developmental, aiming to create a more civilized and stable urban environment, particularly in new cities. By absorbing and regularizing as many building violations as possible, the law alleviates the burden on city authorities, enabling them to focus on developmental projects. Additionally, the financial resources generated from the reconciliation process will be used to sustain development in these cities.
Raising Public Awareness
The minister instructed ministry officials, NUCA, and new city authorities to intensify efforts to raise public awareness about the importance of submitting reconciliation requests for building violations. This includes preparing and disseminating informational and television materials across various media channels to encourage citizens to engage with the reconciliation process, thereby achieving the law’s goal of urban governance.
Addressing Common Violations
During the meeting, the minister reviewed common building violations in new cities and discussed reconciliation mechanisms that do not strain infrastructure and road networks. He also listened to the concerns of city authority heads and instructed the Committee on Reconciliation Law Queries to compile a comprehensive response to all inquiries. This response will be distributed to all new cities, alongside proposals for amendments to the law, which will be presented to the Cabinet and subsequently to the legislative authority.
Supporting New City Authorities
Minister El-Sherbiny reaffirmed the ministry’s and NUCA’s commitment to providing full support to new city authorities to expedite the reconciliation process. He stressed the need for a unified approach to dealing with building violations across all new cities and called for a complete inventory of violations and a study on the expected financial returns from the reconciliation process in each city.
Dr. Walid Abbas highlighted the importance of swiftly addressing reconciliation requests and suggested reinforcing the reconciliation committees with external members if necessary to accelerate the review process. Engineer Amin Ghoneim, Deputy Chairman of NUCA for Development and Urban Renewal, reiterated that the reconciliation law offers a valuable opportunity for new city authorities to manage building violations effectively and maintain the urban integrity of these cities.
Engineer Nafisa Mahmoud Hashim, Chair of the Committee on Reconciliation Law Queries, noted that the committee continues to respond to queries from new city authorities in collaboration with the planning and development sectors. She also mentioned that three guidebooks on building violation reconciliation have been prepared and distributed to all city authorities to educate citizens, technical committees, appeal committees, and administrative bodies involved in the process.
