Falluja university project faces problems

FALLUJA / IraqiNews.com: Iraqi citizens criticized the delay in implementing the Falluja university project because of the several problems it has faced since it started in 2005 until the cornerstone was laid in 2008. “Falluja residents were optimistic regarding the new project which could contribute in reviving the city and developing it on cultural, scientific, and economic levels,” Abu Mohamed, a teacher, told IraqiNews.com news agency, noting that they were disappointed by the continued obstacles facing the project since the first announcement in 2005 until the cornerstone was laid by Minister of High Education and Scientific Research on December 31 2008. “The education ministry and the local government should exert more efforts to finalize the project to serve the public interest,” he added. “In case the Falluja university project was finalized, it will attract students not from Anbar only but from the nearby Baghdad also, however, I cant fell any seriousness in implementing the project and I do not expect to be completed soon. The ministry seems satisfied with laying the cornerstone as a kind of promotion,” Salem Ibrahim, a university student, told IraqiNews.com news agency. For his part, the head of the engineering department of the project, Faez Hemdan, said “the land was allocated to set up the Falluja university in 2005, but everything was suspended because of the developments in the city and in Iraq. “After the security improvement, the project was referred for implementation, but faced other obstacles, including trespassers on the plot of land allocated for the project. “There are some people who claimed that their lands are part of the project’s land and presented proof of this,” member of the Falluja local council, Abdul Nasser Mohamed, said. “A committee was formed by concerned department to consider the problem,” he added. The total area of the project is 360 donums and the university will include several faculties; management, economy, law, pharmacy, veterinary…etc. Ramadi, the capital of Anbar province, lies 110 km west of Baghdad. Anbar is the largest province in Iraq geographically. Encompassing much of the country’s western territory, it shares borders with Syria, Jordan and Saudi Arabia. Anbar is overwhelmingly Sunni Muslim Arab. Anbar’s main cities are Falluja, the capital Ramadi, Haditha, Hit, Aana and Rutba. The name of the province translates “granaries,” as this region was the primary entrepôt on the western borders of Lakhmid Kingdom. The province was known as Dulaim until 1962 when it was changed to Ramadi. In 1976 it was renamed al-Anbar. SH (I)/SR 1