Transport minister regrets poor state of Azhar tunnel

Transportation minister Ibrahim al-Demery said Sunday that he regrets placing Al-Azhar Tunnel under the supervision of the Cairo Governorate, due to its poor state of repair.

In a statement during a visit to Alexandria, al-Demery said, he “feels sad” every time he passes through it, state-owned newspaper Al-Ahram reported.

Demery added that LE150 million was spent on fire resistant material during the construction of the tunnel to make it safe for citizens. The official said that, due to a lack of regular maintenance, the tunnel is in bad condition. Consequently, the governorate offered responsibility for the tunnel back to the ministry, a decision that is still under consideration.

Last month, the deputy head of Al-Azhar tunnel management, Ibrahim Samaha, resigned from his position. Samaha stated he could not take responsibility for a “disaster waiting to happen.” According to privately owned daily newspaper Al-Masry Al-Youm, the tunnel management has been sending maintenance requests to the governorate for the last three years, asking for spare parts and new surveillance cameras. The management added that the governor’s secretary told them to “make do” with the old materials.

The engineers working on the tunnel said that they hold the Cairo governor responsible for any disaster that might occur.

According to investigations, the tunnel was closed more than 100 times in 2013.