BEIRUT: Public Works and Transportation Minister Ghazi Aridi laid the cornerstone for the maritime training institute in Batroun on Thursday, despite the protests of locals.
Aridi launched the first part of the project to build a maritime training institute near the fishermen’s port in the northern coastal town, while some locals and civil society activists opposed the project, claiming it would harm the city’s historic and environmental assets.
Aridi held a launching ceremony in the presence of several prominent figures, including Head of the Batroun Municipalities Union, George Salloum.
The minister responded to complaints that the institute would destroy unique rock formations and distort the city’s Phoenician wall, saying “not one rock surrounding the institute will be touched.”
Aridi gave his word and that of the Cabinet that the environmental and historic aspect of the site would be respected. “This is a Lebanese, and international decision,” he said.
For his part, Labor Minister Butros Harb, an MP for Batroun, issued a statement saying he supported Aridi’s project and thanked him and Economy Minister Mohammad Safadi for providing the necessary resources for the project.
While Harb said the maritime institute would benefit the town, he suggested moving the location of the institute as not to disfigure Batroun’s coast. Other complaints about the project came from Batroun locals, including former MP Sayed Aql, who asked Aridi to renovate existing buildings instead of constructing new ones.
