Latest news with #AhmadHajjar
L'Orient-Le Jour
6 days ago
- Politics
- L'Orient-Le Jour
MPs seek to limit tuk-tuk traffic in Lebanon
The Parliamentary Committee for Public Works, Energy, Transport and Water dedicated a meeting on Thursday to several subjects, including tuk-tuks — small three-wheeled vehicles, open on the sides and used as cheap taxis for short distances — as well as the issue of Syrian drivers working in Lebanon. It also approved a proposal extending the deadlines for regularizing building permits granted to displaced people. Regarding the first issue, the committee recommended tightening regulations by prohibiting tuk-tuks from traveling on main roads and highways and limiting their use to villages and rural areas, according to the report presented by its chairman, Sajih Atieh. Over a year ago, the committee recommended "reducing, or even banning, the importation of these vehicles because of the risks they pose to public safety and the lack of registration procedures," the MP recalled. The committee now wants to impose registration fees on tuk-tuk owners. Several protests by tuk-tuk drivers recently took place in Lebanon, notably in the North and the Bekaa, to protest a decision by the Interior Ministry banning this mode of transport. Interior Minister Ahmad Hajjar argued that these vehicles "operate without proper licenses and represent a significant risk to public safety." The Public Works Committee also examined the situation of Syrian taxi, bus or truck drivers, who reportedly make up "the majority" of those working in Lebanon. "The majority of drivers are Syrians, while there are about 50,000 registered drivers in Lebanon, including 5,000 truck drivers. This creates a serious imbalance, with Lebanese drivers unemployed, while some companies prefer to hire Syrians, who cost them less," the MP lamented. The committee therefore called on the Labor Ministry and the General Security Directorate to "set up a clear register or a dedicated office for Lebanese drivers, and to impose a maximum quota on Syrian drivers, given their high number." Finally, the committee addressed a third issue: the regularization of illegal constructions built by displaced Lebanese. This issue covers homes erected without authorization during various periods of the Lebanese civil war. MPs approved a draft law extending by one or two years the deadline to regularize these constructions, "either by closing the files or by carrying out the necessary reconciliation procedures in the relevant localities, when these have not yet taken place." "Several requests for regularization are still pending," the MP said.
L'Orient-Le Jour
22-07-2025
- Business
- L'Orient-Le Jour
Generators and solar panels on agenda for two meetings at Interior Ministry
Two separate meetings, respectively dedicated to the regulation of private electric generators and solar panels, were organized Tuesday at the Ministry of Interior and Municipalities, according to an official statement. Interior Minister Ahmad Hajjar presided over both meetings. Justice Minister Adel Nassar, Economy and Trade Minister Amer Bisat, and the representative of the Ministry of Energy and Water, Boutros Hadsheeti, took part in the first meeting. The second brought together the acting director general of Urbanism, Ali Ramadan, the acting director general of Common Administrative Affairs, Rasha Hourani, as well as relevant officers from the Internal Security Forces. No information was released about the outcomes of these meetings. Private generators, in principle illegal, have been tolerated for years, with Lebanese citizens relying heavily on them to compensate for the country's electricity production shortfall. Their rates are regulated by the Ministry of Energy and Water, but many of them do not comply with these rules. Meanwhile, individual solar panel installations have surged since the economic crisis started in 2019, a period during which the already limited capacities of Electricité du Liban (EDL) were almost wiped out, as the public supplier could no longer count on Central Bank advances to finance its fuel purchases. Many of these installations have been deployed haphazardly, posing risks to the safety of buildings and people nearby.
Arab Times
14-07-2025
- Politics
- Arab Times
Lights Out Diplomacy: Ministers Rely On Phones During Beirut Blackout
KUWAIT CITY, July 14: In a scene all too familiar in Lebanon, a power outage disrupted a meeting between Kuwait's First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, Sheikh Fahd Al-Youssef, and Lebanese Minister of Interior and Municipalities, Ahmad Hajjar, in Beirut. According to An-Nahar, the electricity was cut off during the extended meeting, forcing officials to use mobile phone flashlights to continue their discussions until power was restored.
MTV Lebanon
26-06-2025
- Politics
- MTV Lebanon
Interior Minister: We welcome the Hijri New Year with hope and optimism
Minister of Interior Ahmad Hajjar published on X: "We welcome the Hijri New Year with hope and optimism, asking God Almighty to bless our country with bounty, security, and stability, and to offer reassurance and hope to everyone."
MTV Lebanon
24-06-2025
- Politics
- MTV Lebanon
24 Jun 2025 18:38 PM Interior Minister broaches developmental affairs with lawmakers, itinerant visitors
Minister of Interior and Municipalities Ahmad Hajjar received respectively in his office at the ministry, MPs Tony Frangieh, Yanal Solh, Hassan Mrad, and Ghassan Hasbani. The discussion reportedly touched on the general situation and developmental issues. Minister Hajjar also met in his office with Tripoli Municipality Head, Abdel Halim Karima, with whom he discussed affairs of the northern city of Tripoli and its developmental and security needs. Additionally, Hajjar received the President of the Jounieh International Festival, Zeina Frem, with an accompanying delegation.
