Apart from discussion of an imminent third wave of covid-19, the government’s plan to develop Old Cairo was the leading topic of conversation on the airwaves last night, after Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly took a tour of the area yesterday. The prime minister ordered the Cairo governor’s office to suspend the issuance of construction and demolition permits in the area to help preserve it. The overhaul is going to be comprehensive and will cover all of Khedival Cairo as an area, in addition to focusing on social development by reviving traditional handicrafts and improving the quality of life for residents, Mohamed El Khatib, one of the consultants on the project told El Hekaya’s Amr Adib (watch, runtime: 8:17).

The development will entail preserving, not demolishing, existing buildings and will focus largely on making the area organized and attractive to tourists year-round, Al Hayah Al Youm’s Mohamed Sherdy said (watch, runtime: 8:08). The development plan will also set up one centralized authority that will be responsible for Khedival Cairo, as opposed to the current system that sees officials from different ministries and government bodies working together from across the aisle, head of the Antiquities Ministry’s religious antiquities unit Osama Talaat told Kelma Akhira’s Lamees El Hadidi (watch, runtime: 3:00). Masaa DMC’s Eman El Hosary focused on how informal have undermined the value of the historic district (watch, runtime: 3:17).

Also getting plenty of attention yesterday: Forthcoming construction regulations and the ongoing building code violation settlement period. The government has so far reeled in some EGP 17 bn from 3 mn settlement requests, but the problem extends beyond these settlements and requires further regulations from the authorities to allow homeowners to register their properties correctly, House Local Administration Committee head Ahmed El Segeny told Lamees (watch, runtime: 4:09). The new construction regulations will set height limits on buildings that are on side streets, but will not eliminate high-rises on main streets and other areas where they are appropriate, Deputy Housing Minister Khaled Abbas told Ala Mas’ouleety’s Ahmed Moussa (watch, runtime: 5:33).