144 Northern stables, farms illegal ...... owners of 19 illegal farms in Burhama, Salehiya produced before prosecutor

Owners of 19 illegal farms in Burhama and Salehiya were produced yesterday before the Public Prosecutor, Manama Municipal Council secretary Jassim Redha said.The prosecutor’s office asked the council to present witnesses and evidences including pictures that the owners had been indulging in illegal farm activities, Redha said.“We hope a verdict before Eid to remove the illegal farms for good. The owners trade in livestock, but during Eid Al Fitr and Eid Al Adha they slaughter the livestock on their open farms. They never inform veterinarians or health officials.“The farms are near residential areas near the old village of Burhama. For over four years, residents have been complaining about bad smell emanating from the farms, which becomes unbearable during slaughtering during the two Eids.“The farm owners have violated laws in several ways – they are not registered, there is no clearance from health and agriculture officials and they have been dumping carcasses all over the place. “The council took the owners to the court because our warnings went unheeded. Around 15 years ago there were eight farms near the Central Market. When the government decided to build the Central Market the farm owners were shifted to Burhama. Over the years their number has increased and the problem become acute,” he said.Redha said when the five councils were set up following elections four years ago, they started issuing warnings and the owners asked for alternative sites. “It is our responsibility to earmark an area for them and legalise their status. The council suggested two sites behind Alba and in Hidd, but the owners rejected both.”STABLE owners in the Northern area who do not comply with the municipal orders to remove their facilities will be taken to court, the Chairman of the Northern Municipal Council, Majeed Al Sayed, said yesterday.There are 147 stables and farms in the Northern area, out of which only three are legal. They have existed for the last 10 to 15 years. Initially, they were in isolated patches of land but with the development of private properties they have come close to urban areas. “The farm owners, even though economically affected, have begun to cooperate with the municipality.“We are assisting them by suggesting alternative sites in areas where the neighbourhood will not be affected environmentally,” he said.“But the stable owners are not complying with the municipal regulations even though their facilities are illegal.“They have been running these facilities for recreational purposes and have refused to move out of the area,” Al Sayed said.He said that the council has taken up the matter with the Bahrain Equestrian and Horse Racing Club officials. He said the stable owners had been issued verbal and written warnings time and again. – Naila Barakat