Dozens of residents from the villages of Barsha, Deir el-Barsha and Abu Hens in Minya protested on Tuesday, demanding that branches of the Nile Bridge be built to run through their villages. The Nile Bridge links the eastern and western desert roads.
Residents of the village find it difficult to travel, especially given that ferries are not safe, said Ahmed Senousi, a member of the Mallawi (also in Minya) local council.
Governor of Minya, Ahmed Diaa Eddin, held a meeting, attended by village residents and members of the People’s Assembly and Shura Council, to consider the matter. The governor said that branches of the bridge would be built using state-owned land. He added that if any privately owned land is required to be used in the construction process, the owner will be compensated.
Meanwhile, a disabled man attempted to get in the way of the governor’s convoy during his tour of the town of Maghagha in Minya on Monday. The man was protesting against the humiliation he and his mother suffered when the police prevented them from meeting the governor to ask for a job opportunity several times before.
Bassam, who holds a diploma in commerce, has two other disabled brothers who managed to get job opportunities in the private sector and who currently work in Cairo. "I headed to the governor’s office to ask for a job opportunity. His secretary promised that I would meet him in Maghagha and that my request would be attended to," said Bassam.
But having been denied access to the governor several times and humiliated by the police on requesting to meet the governor in person, Bassam said he was left with no option but to "get in the way of the governor’s convoy to get a job that will save me the humiliation of begging."
Translated from the Arabic Edition.
