Zarqa, May 5 (Petra) -- His Majesty King Abdullah II visited Zarqa on Tuesday, where he checked on the progress of the Zarqa Industrial Estate, Jordan’s first green and environmentally-friendly industrial city, and issued directives to the government to expedite implementation of all phases of the project.
During a meeting held at the Hashemite University with leading figures and representatives of Zarqa Governorate, His Majesty highlighted the industrial city’s importance as one of the largest in the Kingdom, emphasising the need to provide facilities and services that attract investments to the project.
Addressing the meeting attendees, the King highlighted Zarqa’s symbolic significance to the history of the Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army.
During the meeting, His Majesty directed the government to establish a comprehensive healthcare centre to serve Zarqa and alleviate pressure on its existing healthcare services.
Speaking about regional developments, the King acknowledged the recent challenges, but noted that Jordan continues to persevere and advance, and will protect its interests in spite of the situation in the region.
During the meeting, Prime Minister Jafar Hassan noted that the government is working, in accordance with His Majesty’s directives, to implement projects and programmes that serve Zarqa Governorate and its residents.
Prime Minister Hassan explained that the government’s executive programme for the next three years includes projects earmarked for Zarqa, with an estimated cost of around half a billion dinars across various sectors, most notably health, education, and public transport.
The prime minister noted that the government has already expanded the cardiac surgery department at the new Zarqa Hospital, and will work to implement the King’s directives to establish a comprehensive healthcare centre on the site of the old Zarqa Hospital. He also noted that work would soon begin on construction of a new building for the Prince Feisal bin Al Hussein Hospital in Ruseifa, at a cost of JD9 million.
Prime Minister Hassan added that around 500 classrooms will be added to schools in Zarqa over the course of this year and next. Furthermore, as part of the corporate social responsibility initiative launched by the government in collaboration with the private sector, four model schools, each with a 1,000-student capacity, will be built in time for the start of the next academic year.
Regarding Zarqa’s public transport projects, the prime minister noted that the Bus Rapid Transit service would be extended to the Hashemite University, and that a new public transport hub with capacity for around 1,250 buses would be built. He added that studies on the modernisation of the Jordan Hejaz Railway and its potential use for public transport would be completed shortly.
The prime minister also confirmed that the government is working to address urban issues in a number of municipalities, including Ruseifa, as well as strengthening the municipalities’ role in development and establishing environmental, tourism, and industrial projects that support development goals, similar to projects being launched in Azraq.
For his part, Royal Hashemite Court Chief Yousef Issawi spoke about the implementation of a number of Royal initiatives in Zarqa, particularly in the education, youth, health, social development, and municipal sectors, in addition to development projects.
Issawi highlighted the phosphate hills rehabilitation project in Ruseifa as one of Zarqa’s key projects, noting that 15 million cubic metres of phosphate waste was removed during the first phase of the project, with work underway to develop the area environmentally and economically during the second phase.
For his part, Zarqa Governor Firas Abu Qaoud welcomed His Majesty’s visit, praising the King’s efforts to maintain Jordan’s security and stability.
During the meeting, the attendees expressed their pride in meeting with His Majesty, noting that the visit reflects the King’s keenness on connecting with citizens.
The attendees spoke about Zarqa’s key priorities in various areas, including development, women and youth empowerment, and investment promotion, stressing the need to continue investing in the governorate’s areas of strength to boost its development and create jobs.
During the visit to the industrial city project prior to the meeting, His Majesty underscored the importance of promoting the city both locally and internationally, and developing clear implementation plans for services that will be promoted to investors to enhance the industrial city’s competitiveness.
During a tour of the project, the King, accompanied by Prime Minister Hassan, was briefed by Investment Minister Tareq Abu Ghazaleh on the role of development and industrial zones in stimulating economic growth, affirming the ministry’s continued commitment to enhancing the business environment and facilitating investment in the Kingdom.
Abu Ghazaleh added that Jordan’s 20 development zones are witnessing continuous growth in the volume of investment, reaching approximately JD6.49 billion, and including 1,670 operating investments that provide around 128,000 job opportunities.
Jordan Industrial Estates Corporation Director General Uday Obeidat provided a brief about the three phases of the Zarqa Industrial Estate project, explaining that phase one covers a 1,386 dunum area out of the total 2,475 dunums, at a cost of JD35 million, and includes developed land and ready-built industrial buildings over an area of 21,000 square metres.
Obeidat said the project’s preliminary studies anticipate attracting around 217 industrial investments, and generating some 8,500 jobs.
Director of the Office of His Majesty Alaa Batayneh and Adviser to His Majesty for Tribal Affairs Kneiaan Bluwi attended the meeting at the Hashemite University.
//Petra// AK
