Rabat’s Old Medina Restoration Project Faces Significant Delays, Frustrating Residents and Tourists

The rehabilitation work on the old medina of Rabat, particularly that related to the central market of the city, is experiencing a huge delay. Delays that are accumulating to the great distress of the population and visitors. After the remarks made by the wali of Rabat-Salé-Kénitra, the municipal district of Hassan, chaired by Driss Razi of the National Rally of Independents (RNI), had scheduled the item on the agenda of an ordinary session of the commune, inviting the urban agency of the city, the project’s contracting authority, to provide explanations about the progress of the work, but it was found that the work is still stagnating, reports the Arabic-language daily Al Akhbar.

The delay has resulted in the closure of the central market for three years. The local authorities had to install the merchants on a square in front of the site. But the launch of the tiling work on this square and the asphalting of the roadway of Avenue Lagza and the surrounding alleys swept away the temporary market.

Since then, the merchants have been waiting for the opening of the central market, which is marred by irregularities related to the operating permits for the commercial premises of the site, which belong to the state’s public domain. To solve this problem, correspondence has been addressed to the president of the district and the mayor of Rabat. Urgent actions are therefore expected.