Government officials gathered in a makeshift parliament legislative meeting at UNESCO Palace. One of the decisions taken was to approve the building of a tunnel that will span from Beirut to Bekaa.
MP Michel Daher announced the news on Twitter, addressing the people of Bekaa in particular, as that project was one of the main points in his electoral program in the region.
Needless to state that such a tunnel between the country’s capital and the valley of Bekaa will be a vital infrastructure for the economic development of the region, as well as in facilitating the commuting to and from this important part of Lebanon.
The project consists of building a tunnel connecting Bekaa to Beirut through a BOT (build-operate-transfer) system. It was proposed last year but no decision was taken.
Now, despite the economic crisis and the overwhelming debts, the parliament has officially approved the project, hoping the investment will boost the economy and develop it in the long run.
Yet many people wonder if they will live to see the day the tunnel is actually built. “I don’t think we will see it in our lifetime, that’s for the grandchildren of our grandchildren,” said a Lebanese Reddit user.
Others pondered how the government plans to fund the project when the country is suffocating with debts. “Seriously, we are 80 billion in debt with no way to pay for that except a haircut,” commented another Reddit user.
