Orbán signs Modern Cities cooperation with Dunaújváros

Budapest, May 31 (MTI) – Prime Minister Viktor Orbán signed on Tuesday a cooperation agreement with the mayor or Dunaújváros, in central Hungary, under the government’s Modern Cities development initiative.

At a press conference after the signing ceremony, Orbán said that traditional industrial cities were not a “thing of the past”. Dunaújváros, a city designated under the one-time Communist regime as a major steelmaking centre, has a future, he said.

Orbán said that large development projects required government support and Dunaújváros would be helped “to become a modern industrial city”.

Under the agreement, the government will contribute a site of 500 hectares to the construction of a logistics hub outside the city. The local university will be granted funds to finance electro-mobility research and training, while all public transport buses will be replaced by electric ones, Orbán said.

The prime minister also announced a total 4 billion forints (EUR 12.7m) to refurbish roads connecting the city to towns in the area.

Another billion forints will be used to convert a one-time outpatient clinic into a building to house public amenities, Orbán said. A defunct aqua-park and the adjacent swimming pool will be refurbished with a budget of 3 billion forints. Meanwhile, 2.1 billion forints will be spent on the city’s water supply and 3 billion on creating a new, integrated coach and train station, he said.

Further developments will include building a new 2.9 billion forint hotel and a 2 billion forint sports hall for the local Handball Academy, Orbán said.

Mayor Gábor Cserna said that good cooperation with local residents coupled with government support would guarantee the city’s future development.

The opposition Dialogue for Hungary (PM) party said in response to the announcements that “Dunaújváros has become a city of sham measures”. Local PM councillor Zsolt Szabó said that “any development funds are welcome” but stressed that a new swimming facility would “not reduce the risk of layoffs at the steel mill”. He insisted that the prime minister’s pledges would not provide a real solution to local problems.

Photo: MTI

Source: http://mtva.hu/hu/hungary-matters