Egypt's Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouli ( Photo: Ahram)
Fines on illegal buildings in 23 out of 27 Egyptian governorates have been reduced by between 10 and 70 percent, in an effort to ease the burden on low-income citizens and to consider social dimensions, Egypt’s cabinet said in a statement.
The decision comes as part of the state’s plan to end unplanned construction of buildings on agricultural land, or on other land, without a license, the statement said.
Egypt has seen a significant rise in illegal construction since the security vacuum that followed the 2011 uprising, with many people constructing multi-storey buildings without acquiring the necessary permits or complying with safety standards.
In January, President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi ratified a law allowing owners of buildings constructed illegally to settle with the state, with the exception of violations pertaining to safety standards, authorised height or purpose, and historic buildings, among others.
The law put in place a six-month deadline to end violations, set for the end of September.
The cabinet cited a report submitted by Local Development Mahmoud Shaarawi to Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly that states that the governorates included in the decision to reduce fines include Cairo, Alexandria, Beheira, Daqahliya, Sharqiya, Gharbiya, Qalioubiya, Menoufiya, Port Said, Damietta and Kafr El-Sheikh in the northern part of the country.
In Upper Egypt, Minya, Assiut, Sohag, Qena, Aswan and Luxor are included, as is Red Sea governorate in eastern Egypt; Ismailiya, Suez, North Sinai and South Sinai in the northeastern part of the country; and Fayoum in central Egypt.
According to figures included by the statement, discounts on fines in Cairo range between 20 to 70 percent.
In Beheira, Menoufiya, Luxor, Suez and Sharqiya the discount is around 20 percent. In Alexandria, Ismailiya, North Sinai, South Sinai and Qena, the discount on fine is around 25 percent. The discount on fines in Damietta is around 30 percent.
In Daqahliya, it ranges between 10 to 20 percent. In Sohag, the discount on fine ranges between 10 to 25 percent. In Port Said, it ranges between 10 to 30 percent. In Assiut, it ranges between 20 to 30 percent. In Kafr El-Sheikh, it ranges between 25 to 40 percent. In Gharbiya and Red Sea, it ranges between 30 to 40 percent.
In Qalioubiya, the discount ranges between 10 to 50 percent. In Fayoum, it ranges between 30 to 50 percent. In Minya, it ranges between 40 to 50 percent.
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