Jan 25 , 2025
The Ministry of Urban & Infrastructure provided over 11,000hct of land through allocation and bidding in regional and city administrations, surpassing the planned 7,000hct, according to the Ministry's half-year report. Parliament’s Urban Infrastructure & Transport Affairs Standing Committee reviewed the Ministry’s half-year plan performance report, urging the Ministry to ensure construction projects are completed on time and within budget. Minister Chaltu Sani also reported that 16 small towns that previously lacked plans now have them while road infrastructure work was conducted on 175,879km of roads. Approximately 85,256 illegally held properties were formalized whereas 20,754 houses were built in the first half of the year, exceeding the target of 8,000. Deputy chairperson of the Standing Committee, Eshetu Temesgen (PhD) accentuated the need to organize building standards and codes using modern technology. He also stressed the need for the Ministry to tackle the issue of parking and loading/ unloading areas on corridor development roads in coordination with the relevant authorities.