‘Private sector’s support bolsters authorities’ snow clearance efforts’

AMMAN — The private sector’s participation in dealing with the snowstorm contributed to easing pressure on the authorities and boosted partnership between the two sectors, according to representatives of private firms.

The Hussein Atiyeh Building and Contracting Co. and the Manaseer Group for Industrial and Commercial Investments were among the private firms that worked on clearing snow from the roads during the blizzard.

Deputy Khalil Atiyeh (Amman, 1st District), co-owner of the Hussein Atiyeh Building and Contracting Co., said all private and public entities must “collaborate in such difficult weather conditions, especially since the concerned public agencies do not have enough vehicles”.

“Participating in the snow-clearing process for two or three days will not affect the budgets of private firms,” Atiyeh told The Jordan Times over phone, noting that clearing snow from streets in the capital’s Sweileh neighbourhood in coordination with authorities helped many people reach hospitals during emergencies. 

The company had 11 snow-clearing vehicles working in Amman, in addition to 12 vehicles operating in Zarqa Governorate and the Jordan Valley to help the municipalities, according to Atiyeh, who said 30 employees worked round-the-clock in the capital using large and small four-wheel drives.

“This initiative should encourage the government to deal with the private sector as a partner in the development process,” he noted, adding that providing financial benefits to private firms will encourage those who do not participate to do so.

A source at the Manaseer group, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said around 200 shift workers were divided into eight groups to clear snow from streets in several areas including the airport road, Abdoun and Sweileh.

“Around 60 snow-sweeping vehicles were put to work, including bulldozers and loaders, in addition to a large number of four-wheel drives,” he told The Jordan Times over the phone on Sunday, adding that snow clearance was carried out under the supervision of the concerned authorities.

He noted that operations during this snowstorm were more organised and included more equipment and vehicles than the blizzard that hit the Kingdom in January.

“We worked round-the-clock to do as much as we could to help the country deal with the snowstorm,” he concluded.