Year passed on most important steps in al-Tabqa

ABDUL-RAZAK ZAKARIA/AL_TABQA

On the outskirts of the northern al-Tabqa area in Ain Issa town, it was announced the establishment of al-Raqqa Civil Council which included 22 members, including 7 of al-Tabqa which was a conflict zone in the struggle for liberation and presence between the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the remnants of IS mercenaries who considered their loss of al-Tabqa has the beginning of the fall of their capital, al-Raqqa.

Perhaps one of the most important things that was entrusted to the seven members to work to expand the circle of representatives of al-Tabqa to be the first meeting in Tishrin Dam town on the outskirts of the Euphrates River, 80 kilometers north of al-Tabqa.

At this meeting, the audience was not limited to the narrow circle of the nucleus of the Council, but was at the level of representatives of the people of al-Tabqa of clans and ethnic and religious components, especially those that were taken from the liberated areas of the North Syria are considered safe shelters from the war in the Syrian arena.

The three-day meeting resulted in establishing al-Tabqa Civil Council with 26 representatives representing its constituents and the majority of al-Tabqa city. On May 10, 2017, the Council began work on two axes.

The first is to provide the people with basic supplies of water, bread, medicines, as well as to remove the devastation' effects caused by the fighting, and to deal with the hidden danger of mines and explosive devices left behind IS mercenaries.

The second axis was no less important than the first and represented in the formation of bodies, committees and directorates that would later become the nucleus of the preparatory committee, which in turn would elect the Legislative Council of al-Tabqa area on 25/10/2017.

On November 1, 2017, in a public and official presence that embodies the variety of peoples' components in North Syria together with the representatives of Syria Democratic Council (SDC), the democratic process of the elections took place, electing 70 members who will manage 13 committees, establishing the body of the Executive Council to be governed by the elected co-chairs represented by Hind Al Ali and Shiyar Mohammad.

The Council has set several priorities which, according to the co-chair of Executive Council Shiyar Mohammad Ali, include the civil society newly liberated from unjust oppression of IS and taking it out from the situation of militarization and fear accumulated over years of war, activating the role of neighborhoods' councils economically and organizationally, providing the appropriate administrative climate for the launch of local initiatives that develop the region intellectually and economically, restructuring the directorates and service, educational and health institutions to meet the needs of the growing society after the war in addition to encouraging the children of the region to return and calling for them to participate effectively in the management of their area.

The Executive Board' committees and their work,

Local Administration Committee and Municipalities

The work is supervised in four municipalities (al-Tabqa, al-Mansoura, al-Safsafa in the eastern countryside of al-Tabqa, al-Jarniya in the northwestern countryside).

The work began with modest potentials, with only five old tractors, but it received support from the Democratic Civil Administration of al-Tabqa city, which included about 20 heavy trucks and bulldozers.

In cooperation with local and international organizations, the committee worked to restore water to al-Tabqa city and its countryside by putting new pumps in service and repairing the networks.

Education Committee

The rehabilitation of schools coincides with the preparation of an integrated educational staff to address the requirements of the educational stage, where the number of equipped schools is (210) schools in the city and its countryside that included about (65,000) students under the eyes (2,000) administrators and specialized teachers.

Defense Committee

It has initiated to form several military regiments of the region's volunteers and focused mostly on protecting the area from any external threat emanating from terrorism or local or regional political opponents.

Internal Committee

Its work focused on maintaining security and tracking suspicious and hostile activities against the democratic path. Its strategy has been successful in addressing any security imbalance.

Health Committee

The Committee continues to strive to complete the process of completing the National Hospital in al-Tabqa city after completing the restoration of most of it in the spring of this year, where a special section for women and childbirth was equipped with the support of the Democratic Civil Administration of five ambulances prepared for this purpose.

However, the medical staff in the hospital is still suffering from the lack of technical support from international bodies in light of the inability of the Committee to provide a special section for kidney patients who exceeded 250- case in al-Tabqa in addition to saving the expensive medical requirements.

Women's Committee

It contributes to raising awareness among the women of the area. The Women's Council also participates in the implementation of some cooperative economic projects which provide the working women with self-sufficiency that made her to not need for help from the family and the society.

Committee of Culture and Art

It participated in reviving the culture of the area through the presentation of cultural heritage and contemporary events, where it held a number of popular folkloric presentations in addition to literary seminars, poetry evening parties and artistic courses for children.

On the time when it worked to restore the ground floor of the building of the cultural center in al-Tabqa city to launch the first cultural events on one of its platforms in late September.

Committee of Martyrs Families' Affairs

It aims to follow up the living and social conditions of the families of the martyrs and secure their requirements as much as possible, not to mention the organization of the martyrs' ceremonies and the preparation of a shrine to them on the western outskirts of the city.

Committee of Labor and Social Affairs

Its main task is to organize applicants for work opportunities, to enumerate their numbers and to address any abuses they face. The committee employs more than 2,800 people and focuses on helping the people with special needs to provide them with a decent livelihood.

Public Relations Committee

It is responsible for communicating between the committees of the Executive Council and the relevant internal and external support bodies, such as local and international organizations and associations.

Youth and Sports Committee

It supervises the training of young people in the cultural, sports and social activities to benefit from their energies through the activities of sports through the organization of a local football league and the participation in the league of North Syria in addition to the volunteer works at the level of the Democratic Civil Administrations' areas.

Finance Committee

The financial studies of the other committees are prepared and interacted automatically to provide the necessary financial blocks for their plans in accordance with the decisions of the Executive Council of the Democratic Civil Administration of al-Tabqa city.

Economic Committee

It is consisted of a number of directorates and offices, including the Agriculture Directorate, Commerce Directorate, Electricity Directorate, the House of Cooperative Societies and the Communications Office.

Mechanism of work and management

The work of the Executive Council depends on the implementation of decisions issued by the Legislative Council while it can also submit draft resolutions to the Legislative Council for deliberating them in one or more special sessions which will end with approving or requesting further clarification and consideration before accepting or rejecting them.

Future outlook for al-Tabqa area

The co-chair of the Executive Council Shiyar Mohammed said, "The people of al-Tabqa have an acceptance of democratic thought that has become clear within a year of formation of Democratic Civil Administration. It must be developed through political openness through dialogues and seminars that take place periodically throughout the city and in the countryside."

"Women have played a key role in the new democratic system through their active participation in all vital areas since the liberation," he said.

It is worth mentioning that the democratic project is a new idea for al-Tabqa area, but it seems to be well-received among the various segments of society through the participation of thousands of children of al-Tabqa in the implementation of it through effective participation, where the number of employees of the Executive Council is about 7,000 if we added to them the employees of the Security Institutions.

(T/S)

ANHA