Talai: “I Reject The Self-Justifications Of Foreign Companies…”

Transport Minister, Boujemaâ Talai, lambasted against the officials of the “Anesrif” Railway Agency, accusing them of utter negligence and blaming them for the gross delay in the modernization works of the electrified railway-line linking Annaba and Ramdane Djamel, in the eastern province of Skikda, with a length of 90 km, as part of the overall project meant to modernize the rail bypass Annaba- Algiers-Oran.

This project was launched in 2007 and its delivery was expected in 2011, unfortunately, the work to date, have not exceeded 50%, and has been lagging for 5 years. Project officials have justified the huge delay by the slowness of the expropriation procedures and nature of the plots of land there. 

These lame arguments were flatly rejected by the transport Minister and raised his ire, stating that his department would no longer assign projects without prior geological studies, while urging the Spanish Company in charge of the works, to speed up  the pace of achievement, especially as the project cost increased from 2,700 to 3,600 billion dinars due to technical and administrative  lapses.

Moreover, Mr Boudjemaâ Talai also announced the upcoming launch of a shipping line between the eastern provinces of Annaba and Skikda to that of Algiers.