Mar. 19, 2015 | 12:23 AM
Tripoli residents pessimistic on northern city's future
Tripoli residences suffered damage amid clashes between pro- and anti-Syrian groups.
Misbah al-Ali| The Daily Star
A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Daily Star on March 19, 2015, on page 3.
Al-Tal square
Bab Al-Tabbaneh
Qibbeh
Rashid Karami International Fair
Charity Foundation Schools
Urban Deprivation Index
Hiba Nashabe
Najib Mikati
Associations & groups
Social Commission
Development in Lebanon's second city of Tripoli has stalled, and the city has failed to find stability amid political recriminations, rising poverty and contentious infrastructure projects.
The report's publication came as Tripoli's politicians and residents were engaged in debate on a controversial underground parking lot planned for the city's Al-Tal Square.
The municipality decided earlier this month to proceed with the project, despite opposition from residents and civil society groups like The Follow Up Committee for Tripoli.
Khaldoun Sharif, a politician close to former Prime Minister Najib Mikati, denied accusations made against Tripoli's political class, countering that it was the Parliament that had shown indifference to the degrading conditions in the city.
The former head of Tripoli's Merchants Association, Maamoun Adra, blamed the worsening conditions on Tripoli's residents.
Tripoli has also fallen behind other Lebanese cities in terms of education, explained Hiba Nashabe, president of the city's Azm Educational Campus, and former manager of the Al-Maqased Charity Foundation Schools in Beirut.
Resigned Tripoli municipal council member Fawaz Hamidi said he was angry at how things are going in the city.
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