BACHELORS FACE BAN

By RASHA AL QAHTANI
MANAMA: Bachelors are to be banned from living in certain buildings or areas of Manama, under a charter drawn up yesterday.
Landlords will need special licences to let accommodation to bachelors, under the Manama Municipal Council rules.
They will apply to single men or women of any nationality, including Bahraini, council chairman Murtada Bader said.
Municipality officials will have the right to evict any tenant in breach of the conditions.
The rules will stop landlords turning buildings in family areas into labour camps crammed full of workers, said Mr Bader.
Bachelors of opposite sexes will not be allowed to live in shared accommodation.
Single people of either sex will not be allowed to live in family-oriented buildings, unless families in the property agree otherwise.
Landlords will need special municipality certificates to rent out to bachelors.
Bachelor accommodation must provide personal space for each tenant of not less than 12 square metres and a bathroom for every five residents.
Landlords will no longer be allowed to rent rooftops to bachelors. Mr Bader said the new rules would now be formally submitted to Municipalities and Agriculture Minister Ali Saleh Al Saleh.
Once he agrees, they will be enforced.
Councillors will designate family and bachelor areas in their constituencies, said Mr Bader.
Single tenants already living in family areas would not be allowed to renew their leases and would have six months to a year to find alternative accommodation after their leases expire. The crackdown follows complaints from families about large numbers of bachelors living in residential areas committing crimes, immoral behaviour and causing noise and other disturbances.

Bachelors ban defies reason...

By LES HORTON
The move to ban all single men and women from renting accommodation in certain buildings or areas of Manama must be against the basic principles of human rights.
I can understand moves to stop flats and other buildings being turned into makeshift labour camps, with scores of workers crammed into accommodation not designed for the purpose.
I have already admitted that I would not be pleased if the family house next door to us was turned into a dorm for labourers.
But a blanket ban such as that drawn up by Manama Municipal Council is going too far and denies law-abiding people the right to live where they choose.
I am not aware of any developed country with such a rule and it signals a step backwards for Bahrain, at a time when it has just taken its seat on the United Nations Human Rights Council.
This is an insidious form of segregation based on a false premise that all "bachelors", whether male or female, pose a threat to morality and security when they are allowed to live amongst families.
The charter drawn up by the council must now go to the Municipalities and Agriculture Minister for approval and I can only hope that it is thrown out immediately.
Setting aside the human rights issue, the impracticalities are enormous.
The suggestion is that individual councillors will designate family areas in their constituencies, in which bachelors will be banned from taking accommodation.
Those already living in these areas will not be allowed to renew their leases, but will be given a grace period in which to find alternative homes.
On what criteria will these councillors be basing the designations and, should this plan go ahead, where do they expect all the bachelors to go?
There are fundamental rights at stake here which affect everyone in the country, since it involves an elected council seeking to lay down the law on who can live within its boundaries.
If it is allowed to get away with it, then it may spread to the other five councils and what on earth may be next, Bahraini-only areas?

Municipal councils may extend term

By MOHAMMED AL A'ALI
MANAMA: Bahrain's five municipal councils expect to continue their term until the end of the year. The four-year term officially ends on September 17, but a date for elections has not yet been announced, with councillors expecting it to be in November, after Eid.
Muharraq Municipal Council chairman Mohammed Al Wazzan said they were expecting a letter officially extending the term from Prime Minister Shaikh Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa.
"Under the constitution, unless a new council is elected, the old council would continue in its role and since elections are expected in November, then the new councils will assume power either at the end of December, or next year," he told the GDN yesterday. "We will continue serving the people, the role we have been elected for, until we are voted off and others replace us."

Water leakage repair delayed

By RASHA AL QAHTANI
RESIDENTS in Adliya say they are fed up of flooding from leaking underground water mains. The area has been left flooding for a month, leaving a big pool of water, says Manama Municipal Council member Jaffar Al Qaidoom.
"Residents have reported this to the Electricity and Water Ministry emergency hotline, and they sent people over to dig up the place," he said.
"They did find the leak, but did not finish their work.
"Residents complained to me about their problem and I went and inspected the area to find that it is serious.
"The whole area is a big pool of water and the leak has not been fixed, which adds to the problem.
"If the ministry was serious then such problem would have been solved in a short time and not left for one month."
Mr Al Qaidoom blames a dilapidated underground water network and says priority should be given to renovating it.
He said a letter would be sent by Manama Municipal Council on Saturday to Electricity and Water Ministry, urging them to find an urgent solution.
"I can't understand what is needed to make those concerned hear about the Adliya residents plight," he said.
"I don't know what we need to do to get this leakage stopped, but I will continue looking into this problem until someone intervenes and solves it."
The ministry were not available for a comment.

Workers' camps to be relocated

By MOHAMMED AL A'ALI
LABOUR camps in residential areas of Manama could soon be moved to protect both nearby families and the expatriate workers who live there, according to a municipal councillor.
The Manama Municipal Council has already identified the areas where they should be moved from and the places where they will be relocated to.
It approved the measure in its initial form yesterday and will now discuss it further before rubberstamping it and forwarding it to Municipalities and Agriculture Minister Ali Saleh Al Saleh.
Council technical affairs committee chairman Sadiq Rahma said accommodation where many workers are living now does not comply with international labour laws and regulations.
He described some accommodation as dilapidated old houses where workers are stacked on top of each other and hopes that by relocating them they will get better living conditions.
He added the move should also mean an end to clashes between labourers and neighbouring residents, who have complained in the past about the behaviour of single male workers.
"There are around 20 labourers in two rooms with one toilet to serve them all and I believe this should end because they are not animals and should be treated better than this," Mr Rahma told the GDN.
"The new rule comes up with bigger spaces for workers according to the size of the camp, which will now have to fulfil certain requirements to be permitted to house labourers."
Mr Rahma said residents had complained that labourers were trespassing on their privacy and freedom.
"They believe these outsiders pose a danger to their children - especially their daughters - since they are being cut off from contact with women," he said.
"Some even get drunk and walk through the neighbourhood at night, which is scary for many residents who see some of them sleeping on their doorsteps or on their property."
Mr Rahma said that residential areas where labour camps are found are known, as are others purely used to accommodate labourers.
"We are planning to move labourers from residential areas to places where labour camps are found, rather than keep them with residents," he said.
"For example, we have identified block 302 in Manama as being filled with labour camps and we have no intention of moving anyone from there.
"The plan is that if anyone gets moved from residential areas in the future they will be told to move to similar blocks away from residences."
Mr Rahma said the decision would first be published in the Official Gazette before owners of labour camps or those renting them out are given a grace period to comply with the new rule.
"They will be either instructed to move their labourers away from residential areas or provide them with better accommodation in the house they are living in, according to regulations," he said.
"For example, if 20 are stacked in a labour camp, they will be reduced to five to ensure they are being treated as human beings."
He added that expatriate families would not be affected by the new measures.
"We are not speaking about expat families, who are living among us," he said.
"The law only applies to labour camps where bachelors live.
"Families were never a part of our plans to organise residential areas and will never be."

NEW-LOOK MARKET

By MOHAMMED AL A'ALI
MANAMA: The Manama Central Market has been earmarked for a multi-million dinar upgrade, it was revealed yesterday.
It will include the construction of additional buildings and renovations and expansions of existing ones.
"The whole market will be air-conditioned and all the necessary facilities will provided," Manama Municipal Council technical affairs committee chairman Sadiq Rahma told the GDN.
"Currently it is acceptable, but to us it is not satisfactory and we are aiming to make it more appealing.
"People, both Bahrainis and expats, have told us many times that they want the market to be further developed.
"It already has three shopping centres, but we believe that more emphasis should be given to its original facilities.
"We have already received a study from Bahrain University with plans to organise and develop the area and hopefully it will be useful when we start renovating the market."
The project is expected to cost BD16 million.

BD60M BILL!

By MOHAMMED AL A'ALI
MANAMA: The government is facing a BD60 million bill for land that it wants to purchase and develop in the Central Governorate.
A municipal councillor says that is how much it will take to satisfy landowners, who are reluctant to sell and claim they are being forced into handing land over at the current rates rather than future prices.
The lands, located near Salmabad and Sehla, have been earmarked for investment and housing projects including Investment Towers, which has already been approved.
"The landowners are being forced to accept because they have no other choice and at the rate the ministry decides, or have their lands taken away for free," said Central Municipal Councillor Sayed Abdulla Al A'ali.
"The ministry has come up with three unofficial choices, either decrease service outlets planned for the developed area, decrease the percentage of lands cut or compensate landowners with lands with the same value elsewhere or nearby."

Keep off roads!

By Mohammed al a'ali
GARAGES in Manama are being threatened with closure if they continue to use public property to repair cars without permission.
It follows complaints by residents in the capital, who say noisy mechanics are taking over streets and blocking access to their homes.
The issue was raised at the Manama Municipal Council after several complaints about one garage in particular, which is located in a residential neighbourhood.
It has since been shut down after investigations revealed that it had committed numerous violations.
Manama Municipal Council technical committee chairman Sadiq Rahma has pledged an end to the "nuisance" and warned that garages that do not respect the rules would no longer be tolerated.
"Garages are not permitted to work outside, except if they have permission from the Manama Municipality to do so," he said.
"This permission is not given to everyone as the location of the garage is taken into consideration, whether it is in an area classified as residential or for service-related activities.
"If located in a residential area then the narrowness of the street is taken into account, with those in tight places not being given permission to operate outside their garages."
Residents in the area are consulted before permission is given to garages to operate on public property because they are most affected by the noise.
"People should take into consideration that there are many garages who work outside without permission from the municipality," added Mr Rahma.
"They should be reported and if they are found working without any permission, they will be closed down immediately without any delay."
Meanwhile, Mr Rahma said there had been cases of rogue garages opening in residential areas without permission.
"Councillors still don't know how these garages, especially the violating garage, were allowed to open in residential areas, which is a clear violation of the classification prepared by the council," he said.
"This is a different issue the council is going to investigate, but at the moment garages with violations will not be tolerated."
There have been similar complaints about garages from residents in the Northern Governorate.
One reader contacted the GDN to complain of garages operating in an area classed as residential, not commercial.
They said they have been complaining for the past 15 years about the garages in Block 531, but without success.
"Officials have been contacted repeatedly over the past 15 years now and nothing has been done despite repeated accidents, near-miss casualties and the deterioration of the area due to the car rubbish and waste that gets literally dumped in the surrounding area," said the reader, who asked to remain anonymous.
"It is deplorable and illegal and nothing is ever done.
"It's time to start taking care of enforcing the laws."

Karbabad park work to begin

By RASAHA AL QAHTANI
WORK on a new BD250,000 public park in Karbabad village will begin early this month.
The project was initiated by Manama Municipal Council as part of its development programme for the Capital Governorate.
Councillor Mohammed Abdulla Mansoor Abdulla said the park near Le Chocolat, Seef District, would feature a variety of facilities for Karbabad and neighbouring villages.
"The park will have rides for children, a walkway and an artificial waterfall," he said.
Work on the project, which will be built on an area of 5,762 square metres, is expected to be completed by November.
"We will plant a lot of trees, set up shades and instal floodlights around the park to make the place brighter and more appealing and presentable."
Plans for a small zoo to be included in the park on the request of Karbabad residents was scrapped by the council, said Mr Abdulla.
He said the decision was made in view of the many diseases caused by animals.
"The idea of the small zoo was good, but we refused it because we don't want to endanger the health of residents," said Mr Abdulla.
"The park will also include other necessary facilities, such as toilets for disabled people since the council takes them into consideration in every project it implements."
"It will mean they will no longer have to travel elsewhere to enjoy park surroundings or for their children to play in a safe environment," he said.
"Instead of going to other parks and walkways residents will now be able to walk or jog in a place nearer to their homes."

Fury over parking chaos...

By RASHA Al QAHTANI
MANAMA
RESIDENTS on Exhibition Avenue, in Manama, are complaining of serious parking problems in the area due to spaces being illegally blocked off by businesses.
Capital Municipal Councillor Abdulaziz Ahmed Mohammed Al Khaja said the problem had been plaguing the area for years.
"I took the plight of the residents and I discussed it with the municipal council two years ago - we agreed that this is a violation and it is illegal," he said.
"We even spoke to the Traffic General Directorate to co-operate with us and fine those violating the rules, but nothing has changed."
Mr Al Khaja said the general directorate was not co-operating with the council and had done nothing about the violations.
"We have done our part but we can't implement it alone, it is the job of the traffic authorities to see that nobody violates these rules," he said.
"I will try to do my best and bring this subject up in the next municipal council meeting and see if we can meet with traffic representatives to stress the problem."
He said one of the restaurants causing a problem was Hard Rock Café, which blocked parking spaces to offer valet parking to its customers.
The restaurant's owner Khalid Al Ahmed, who also owns the building, said he only reserves three parking spaces for valet parking and security reasons.
"We receive people from the (US) navy base and we park their cars in front of the restaurant for security reasons," he said.
"We are doing this because the area is facing a lot of crime and people's cars are being raided or stolen, not forgetting people walking in the street who are being mugged."
Mr Al Ahmed said he pays a BD1,800 ground rate to the municipality and feels that he has a right to block off parking spaces in front of his building.
"The barricades blocking the parking spaces are not fixed into the ground and we remove them at midnight when we are closing so anyone can park there after midnight," he said.
"At least I have valid reasons to block car spaces in front of my building, but how about the other people who do the same and don't own the building."

Rent help for needy

By MOHAMMED AL A'ALI
NEEDY families who could have been forced on to the street under a house renovation scheme will now be allocated rent money for temporary accommodation.
They will be given BD150 a month after they move out while their homes are being renovated, when previously the scheme did not provide them with temporary accommodation or a housing allowance.
Manama Municipal Council members decided yesterday to include this financial aid in the scheme after concerns were raised on where the families would be kept, if told to leave during renovations.
The new BD500,000 scheme, divided equally on Bahrain's five municipal councils, is expected to begin next year.
Council technical committee chairman Sadiq Rahma said people most in need of help would have been made homeless while the scheme proceeded.
"The problem is that when the Municipalities and Agriculture Ministry drew up the scheme, which includes major renovations and remodelling, they forgot about those who will be told to move out to make way for work," he said.
"They only took minor work into consideration, which could be done in a few days.
"The council has already agreed unified colours for the houses to ensure they are distinguishable and done according to a certain pattern so no renovated or remodelled homes will be different from the rest."
The project is separate from His Majesty King Hamad's Scheme for Dilapidated Homes, which aims to renovate 6,000 dilapidated homes in five years.
Under that scheme, families who are moved out of their home while work is carried out are given a temporary housing allowance.