Khaberni - A number of deputies from the Irbid governorate discussed during a meeting in the Irbid Chamber of Commerce on Saturday the issue of the disruption of the vegetable market project in central Irbid, known as "hasba al-Jourah".
The deputies agreed on the necessity of finding practical solutions that ensure the continuation of the vegetable market traders in their profession within an appropriate environment, preserving their economic and livelihood interests.
They pointed out the economic and developmental importance of the vegetable hasba project, and its ability to provide a high financial income for the Irbid Municipality fund according to its economic feasibility studies, especially with the project's funding currently available through a bank loan of 1.7 million dinars for that purpose.
The deputies confirmed that they would discuss with various related entities from Irbid Municipality and the Ministry of Local Administration the ways to overcome the challenges of building the new hasba project after its old building was demolished two and a half years ago, and to reinstate the traders in their locations while considering different alternatives proposed for the affected traders to protect their rights.
On his part, al-Shouha emphasized the importance of reaching consensual solutions that ensure the rights of the hasba traders and the completion of the new hasba building project, which is currently disrupted, explaining that the ongoing situation of the traders without commercial shops will exacerbate financial losses and negatively affect commercial activity in the center of Irbid.
The traders also stressed the necessity of making a decision to proceed with the construction of the hasba project and compensate them for their disruption through understandings with the Irbid Municipality.
The Greater Irbid Municipality had removed the old hasba building in mid-2023 for the purpose of constructing a new, modernly designed hasba, secured with a bank loan, while it now faces a dilemma in implementation following disputes over the engineering design plans according to previous statements by Manif Khreis, Assistant Head of the Irbid Municipality Committee for Engineering Affairs.
The meeting included the head of the Parliamentary Economy and Investment Committee, Deputy Khaled Abu Hassan, the Assistant President of the House of Representatives Hala al-Jarrah, and the deputies Tareq Bani Hani, Basem al-Rawabdeh, Salem Abu Dawleh, the president of the Irbid Chamber of Commerce Mohammad al-Shouha, and Chamber Council members Waseem al-Masaed, Ahmad al-Hawari, and Raed al-Quraan, along with a group of affected hasba traders.
