MP Elias Hankach called on Prime Minister Nawaf Salam to address what he described as decades of neglect in the Metn district, urging the government to strengthen State authority, tackle security concerns and resolve longstanding infrastructure and environmental problems.

Speaking in Parliament, Hankach said the Constitution required balanced development across all Lebanese regions and stressed that lawmakers had a responsibility to represent the nation as a whole.

“Today, I am speaking about Metn, which has been a stricken and neglected area for 40 years,” Hankach said, urging Salam to review the district’s conditions and explain what had happened to promised reform efforts.

Hankach said Metn was Lebanon’s largest taxpayer but remained deprived of adequate services.

He also raised security concerns, saying there were areas where weapons were present and municipal police could not enter.

“How are training camps for remnants of the Assad regime and others being allowed to exist?” he asked.

Hankach called on the government to make Metn a weapons-free area, similar to Beirut and other parts of Lebanon.

Turning to basic services, Hankach said water was available in Metn but was not being properly utilized. He also raised concerns about electricity and urged the government to address the district’s infrastructure needs.

Hankach separately questioned the environment minister about waste-management sites, including a marine landfill where waste, he said, had risen above the level of the water.

He said Metn had suffered enough from Lebanon’s waste crisis, particularly because it is one of the country’s most densely populated areas.

“I hope the issue of the environment and waste will finally be resolved once and for all,” Hankach said, describing Metn as suffering from both an environmental and social crisis.

He also invited Salam to tour the district, inspect its conditions firsthand and see the scale of the difficulties faced by its residents.