Tunis/Tunisia — The progress of a number of major projects, especially motorways that will help overcome mobility difficulties in a number of internal regions and break their isolation, was the focus of a meeting between President Kais Saied and Minister of Public Works and Housing Sarra Zaafrani on Thursday at the Carthage Palace.

During this meeting, the Head of State stressed the need to speed up the distribution of social housing units that have been ready for years, which number 3,937 in a number of governorates of the Republic, according to a statement from the Presidency.

He pointed out that some of these social housing units have been illegally confiscated, saying that this cannot be allowed in a state based on the rule of law.

The President added that a number of other houses had been subject to theft and vandalism, and that the situation of some of them had deteriorated because they had remained closed for a long time without being distributed to those who deserved them.

"It is unacceptable that the state spends around 7 million dinars every year on guarding them while they are ready. This money could have been used to build other new homes," said the President of the Republic.

He stressed the need to adopt clear standards based on fairness in a context of full transparency, as provided for in the legislation on the distribution of this type of housing.

During this meeting, the issue of urban development throughout the country and corruption, which has led to chaotic conditions in almost all Tunisian cities, were also discussed, according to the statement.