BEIRUT, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Lebanese caretaker Minister of Public Works and Transport, Youssef Fenianos, said Tuesday that the transport strategy proposed by his ministry last year was not implemented because of a lack of funds.
The minister's statement was a response to the criticism from Lebanese Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil, who accused Fenianos of failing to present a proper transport strategy which resulted in the traffic chaos in the country.
"We have already drafted a strategy which was referred to the council of ministers in January 2017 right after the formation of the previous government," Fenianos was quoted by the National News Agency as saying.
The strategy, after receiving approval from the council, was referred in December 2017 to the Council of Development and Reconstruction, which was responsible for obtaining funds from the World Bank to implement it, the minister added.
However, the strategy was not implemented because of funds shortage, he said.
"The World Bank has approved a different strategy from the new one proposed by the Public Works and Transport Ministry," he clarified.
The World Bank said in March that it has approved a 295-million-U.S.-dollar package ushering in the overhaul of Lebanon's decaying transport sector and securing employment for thousands of unskilled Lebanese and Syrian workers.
The Beirut international airport has recently witnessed great congestion and chaos, raising concerns over the country's ailing traffic sector.
Officials have on many occasions called for the expansion of the airport in Beirut for the increasing number of passengers in addition to replacing old equipment.
