70% of Old Cairo leather vendors move to Roubeki area

CAIRO – 21 November 2017: Prime Minister Sherif Ismail discussed on Monday means of moving tanneries located in Sour Magra El-Oyoun Street in the heart of Old Cairo to the Roubeki area, where a city for tanned leathers is being established.

In a meeting held to follow up on the project and attended by the housing minister Moustafa Madbouli, Cairo’s governor Atef Abdel-Hameed and representatives of the concerned bodies, it is referred that 70% of the tanneries and their workers were transferred to the new area.

Ismail emphasized his keenness on completing the important project and working on moving the rest of the tanneries to the Roubeki area.

He noted that the country’s view on establishing a specialized city in manufacturing leathers came as part of a plan for developing the industry sector to increase production, exportation and job opportunities.

Earlier, Egyptian authorities took a steady advance on the streets of downtown Cairo, evacuating unauthorized street vendors and retaking main squares.

The move is part of a project by the Cairo governorate to clear the city from street vendors by enforcing the rule of law and displacing thousands.

In 2014, Cairo’s governor issued a decision to move downtown street vendors temporarily to Torgoman car park.

Meanwhile, the authorities previously removed also vendors located in Ramses Square. The state-run Middle East News Agency (MENA) reported that the governor of Cairo, Jalal Mustafa Saeed, was present, instructing police officers who were directing traffic to enforce the law firmly on everyone without exceptions and to arrest those who resisted.