A meeting organized by the Irbid Chamber of Commerce on Saturday discussed the issue of the ongoing disruptions to the downtown vegetable market construction project, known as "Al-Jura Hasba".
The meeting included the president of the Chamber of Commerce, Mohammad Al-Shouha, assistant president of Irbid Municipality’s engineering affairs committee, Engineer Munif Khreis, and board members Zaid Shaqirat, Ayman Al-Ghazawi, and Wassim Al-Masad, along with a group of affected traders from the Hasba.
Al-Shouha emphasized the need to reach consensual solutions with the municipality that satisfy all parties, especially since the data indicate the difficulty of rebuilding "Al-Jura Hasba", given that 73 traders have lost their shops which were previously demolished for the purposes of constructing the new Hasba project.
He explained that previous understandings between the chamber, the traders, and the municipality regarding the implementation of alternative options led to a collective non-agreement on them, noting that the chamber stands by the affected traders through various means and legal methods, due to their financial damages from the non-execution of the new vegetable market project.
For his part, Khreis clarified that the project to rebuild "Al-Jura Hasba" was included in the downtown Irbid development project launched in 2017, which has been stalled due to several circumstances related to financing and financial capabilities.
He pointed out that the location of the Hasba building, which the municipality removed in mid-2023 for the purpose of building a new Hasba according to modern specifications, now faces a dilemma in execution due to disputes on the design plans, after flaws in the design were proven and the municipality demanded high amounts to perform the required modifications, an issue that necessitates resorting to arbitration and litigation.
The affected traders also emphasized that the delay in constructing the new Hasba project harmed their livelihood interests, stressing the need to resolve the issue, whether by expediting the construction of the Hasba project or compensating them for their damages by the Irbid Municipality.
During the meeting, an agreement was reached to study the legal department of the commercial chamber the problem of the affected traders, within procedures aimed at preserving their rights.
