manama council

2007-02-05T09:44:00.001+03:00

New push to solve council office row

By MOHAMMED AL A'LI
COUNCILLORS are to meet today over an apparent split over calls to move out of their cramped headquarters. Manama Municipal chairman Majeed Millad Al Jazeeri says he is backing the push and that colleagues who believed otherwise had misunderstood him.
He says a move would take at least a year to be complete, thus his decision to install partitions, to create temporary offices for councillors.
The seven councillors want to move to other premises because four of them are stuck in one office, while three are without desks, more than a month after being elected.
Council technical committee chairman Al Wefaq's Abdulmajeed Al Sebea'a is already refusing to use the council headquarters, saying there is no room for him.
He is operating out of his original office as an engineer in a major engineering consulting firm and will soon rent his own office for council work.
Mr Al Sebea'a is attending general-secretariat, council and committee meetings at the council headquarters, and then going back to his original workplace.
The chairman and his secretary and the secretary-general, have their own separate offices in the council premises.
There are two offices for clerks and one office with four tables, divided amongst the seven remaining councillors.
The council and the Municipalities and Agriculture Affairs Ministry are in one premises and the Manama Municipality is in a building adjacent to it.
Mr Al Jazeeri says that the decision to stay was that of former council chairman Murthada Bader. "The problem is councillors didn't listen to my plans on the move and they think that I am pushing for a stay," he said.
He is planning to sit with the seven councillors today to explain his plans for the move and clarify the misunderstanding that he was against it.
Mr Al Jazeeri said he had been unable to have long meetings with councillors since going to Haj last month and then being taken into hospital two days after coming back, in addition to the death of his brother last week. He said he had been going to the council to clear pending requests, but had been unable to sit with other councillors, to discuss any major issue.
Mr Al Sebea'a said that the move would take two months at most, since the budget had already been promised by the ministry. He said that the idea of partitioning the hall was bad.
"There are offices for council employees already set up in the meeting hall, which is also being used by the ministry and municipality for their meetings," said Mr Al Sebea'a.
"It is very noisy, since it has two doors and people pass through it all the time.
"There is no control over who enters that hall and to take a decision on any issue, someone needs quiet and not disruption."
Mr Al Sebea'a believes that it would be unnecessary to hire new drivers or other employees if the council moved to other premises, since messages could be sent through the government electronic system.
"Other councils, which are far away from the area's municipality, don't face difficulties getting their mail delivered every day. I don't think we would face any trouble doing so, since both are in the same governorate," said Mr Sebea'a."
He said that councillors haven't sat with Mr Al Jazeeri since the death of his brother, but would do so during the week.
"It is still unclear what he wants to do, but six out of seven, who were present during our meeting last week want to move and the chairman knows that, but we are yet to listen to him."
Councillors Sadiq Rahma and Khamees Al Rumaihi are the other two with no desks.

2007-02-05T09:39:00.001+03:00

Vigilantes slammed

By BEGENA GEORGE
VIGILANTES threatening to drive out 100 expatriate workers due to be housed in Segaiya were condemned yesterday by human rights activists and social workers.
Violence is likely as the residents have a history of driving out groups of expatriate workers housed in the area, who they accused of immoral and disruptive behaviour, says a councillor.
The residents are furious that a Bahraini businessman has rented two neighbouring homes, which he is currently renovating, to house 100 workers.
Manama Municipal Council has been trying to negotiate a compromise between the property owner, the businessman who has rented the buildings and the residents.
But the residents are adamant that they will drive out the men out if they move into the houses.
Residents should remember that these expatriate workers are the bloodline of the country's economy, said Bahrain Human Rights Society (BHRS) assistant general secretary Abdulla Al Deerazi.
"These residents who are threatening to drive away the workers need to realise for a moment that they are our kingdom builders," he said.
"These innocent men, who have no choice whatsoever over where they live, should not be punished for an act that apparently these residents think they might do.
"The residents should not be allowed to take the law into their own hands and it is the government who should look into this.
"The contractor, building owner and residents must reach a mutual agreement, instead of bullying the workers.
"The issue needs to be solved before it gets worse or out of control."
Migrant Workers Protection Society action committee head Marietta Dias said people must not be allowed to take the law into their own hands.
"If the government allows these workers to stay there, they can and it is not for these residents to drive them out," said Mrs Dias.
She said it was wrong for residents to assume that the workers would cause disturbances, or commit immoral acts, even before they have moved in.
"Unless these workers actually do something to offend to them, they must not be blamed," she said.
"If one among these 100 workers does something unacceptable, then they have cause to complain.
"Also, why should the workers suffer for a decision taken by their boss on where they should stay - like they have a choice?"
Ms Dias said it was a dangerous trend if communities were allowed to bar others from moving into their areas.
"Today they don't want a bunch of labourers staying in their neighbourhood and tomorrow they won't want anyone from a particular community to stay there," she said.
"The decision should be left to the government, not ordinary citizens."
Residents in the same area have driven out other expatriate workers by threatening to set fire to their accommodation.
They have a history of violent clashes with expatriate workers housed in the area, area councillor and council technical committee chairman Majeed Al Sebea'a had told the GDN earlier.
Thirty family heads out of 400 people had submitted a petition to the council, threatening to staging demonstrations soon.
The businessman renting the two houses is former Shura Council member Ibrahim Nonoo, who told the GDN earlier he did not want trouble in the neighbourhood, or anyone harming his employees, who have been brought in to work for his Basma Cleaning Company.
He said he was obliged to pay BD46,000 for the two-year contract for the accommodation.
Mr Nonoo said there was no legislation banning bachelor labourers living in residential neighbourhoods, but if the government sent him a paper saying otherwise, then the contract would be terminated immediately.
He said he was willing to promise the residents that his workers will not disturb the community.

2007-02-02T08:45:00.000+03:00

Disaster scenario in the making!

AT last, a voice of reason. Hats off to the Manama Municipal Council for objecting to the go ahead for the North Shore development until a workable traffic plan is in place. It is a pity that the Roads Directorate had not done the same, sooner. It is not possible to continue the breakneck pace of urban development without the necessary infrastructure being available to support it, in particular roads. Infrastructure development should precede these projects, not trail them and forever be trying to catch up.
Over the last few weeks there have been several letters to the GDN regarding the ever-growing congestion on Bahrain's roads, in particular on the King Faisal Highway, but little response has been forthcoming from the planning authorities.
Any commuter can confirm the obvious - Manama desperately needs a proper ring road; that is a road free from traffic lights and roundabouts that enables traffic to keep moving freely. Historically, no sooner does a half-decent road appear than it starts to sprout traffic lights. The King Faisal Highway is a case in point. The Seef and Pearl flyovers are marvellous but all they have achieved is passing the inevitable traffic queues further into town. Between the Pearl flyover and the new Muharraq Bridge there are four sets of traffic lights. This is too many, particularly for a road where more than 70 per cent of the traffic is 'through' traffic.
The Regency lights are a real bottleneck during the morning and afternoon rush hours. The other day, during my daily grind to work, it took the usual 12 minutes plus to cross the Pearl flyover only to be stopped at the Regency lights to allow three cars out. When traffic is backed up, the two km length of the three-lane flyover can hold approximately 750 cars. Add to this another 100 or so cars trying to fight their way in from the Pearl roundabout slip road and around another 150 plus cars heading west and we have over 1000 vehicles being held up by just three, a ratio of around 350:1! In the afternoon the tailback reaches the Seef flyover more than doubling this number. Whilst this may be exceptional it does highlight the severe imbalance of the traffic, which even at the best of times only approaches a ratio of around 50:1.
Traffic exiting the Suq at Regency already has a slip road to the east. Westbound traffic could easily exit via the Pearl roundabout; a not very efficient but now underused resource. With re-timing the lights on this route and clamping down on the all pervasive double parkers (a mobile crusher unit would work wonders) this could be a perfectly viable route allowing the regency lights to be closed completely. Although this would push the queue onto the Sheraton lights it would at least allow the Pearl roundabout slip road to work more efficiently instead of the present free-for-all and reduce the time wasted waiting at traffic lights, thus improving journey times.
The Crown Plaza lights present a similar imbalance and are also too close to the Al Fateh Highway lights. At peak periods they are a potential source of gridlock. Within two km there are four major junctions, frequently with standing traffic and not a yellow box in sight (not that that would work since most drivers have 'photo-copier' eyesight - they cannot see yellow)!
As if this was not bad enough we are told that the Financial Harbour is on target for opening in April. The BFH traffic study has predicted a peak morning traffic flow of 5,900 vehicles per hour. Whilst these will not necessarily be 'new' vehicles (some commuters will just be changing office location) it will act to focus this traffic at one or two junctions on the King Faisal Highway. Not a pretty sight. And this does not take into account the potential extra traffic generated by the World Trade Centre when that opens.
The scene appears to be set for total disaster and although the city planners are talking of new flyovers and underpasses, this is just talk. Such projects take years to plan and implement. The crisis is IMMINENT. Doing nothing is not an option and it may already be too late! R D Hogg

2007-01-25T11:40:00.000+03:00

Council clash seven defiant

By MOHAMMED AL A'ALI
MANAMA Municipal Council members yesterday clashed with their chairman, who is insisting that they stay in their cramped council headquarters.
The seven councillors want to move to other premises because four of them are stuck in one office, while three are without desks, more than a month after being elected.
Chairman Majeed Millad Al Jazeeri has ordered partitions to be installed in the meeting hall, so the three remaining councillors can use the space as offices.
Council technical committee chairman Al Wefaq's Abdulmajeed Al Sebea'a is already refusing to use the council headquarters, saying there is no room for him.
He is operating out of his original office as an engineer in a major engineering consulting firm and will soon rent his own office for council work.
Mr Al Sebea'a is attending general-secretariat, council and committee meetings at the council headquarters, and then going back to his original workplace.
The chairman and his secretary and the secretary-general have their own separate offices in the council premises.
There are two offices for clerks and one office with four tables, divided amongst the seven remaining councillors.
The council and the Municipalities and Agriculture Ministry are in one premises and the Manama Municipality is in an adjacent building.
Council services committee chairman Hameed Al Basri, who has his own desk, said he could not wait to move away from the place.
"I am fed up. Since coming here last month, I have felt I am inside a jail," he said. "Now, the chairman wants to move us all (seven councillors) to the meeting hall, to empty the room we are in, so it can be used by employees, who are also packed in offices.
"There are offices for council employees already set up in the meeting hall, which is also being used by the ministry for meetings, and it is very noisy since it has two doors, and people pass through it all the time.
Members of the general-secretariat office yesterday voted unanimously to move out, despite rejections from the chairman and secretary-general Jassim Redha.
The general-secretariat office comprises the chairman, vice-chairman, four committees' chairmen and the secretary-general.
Mr Al Sebea'a said councillors were unhappy with the way things were being managed in the council.
"I am the only committee chairman with no desk, since the four available tables are being occupied by the three other committee chairmen and the council vice-chairman," he said.
"All of us want to move and we will push for it, even if it means that the ministry takes over the place.
"Moving into another building will ensure we can organise our staff, hire more and ensure an office for every two councillors.
"Even if it is far away from the heart of Manama, the most important thing is our peace of mind and the ability to do our work without any hustle and bustle."
Mr Al Sebea'a said former Municipalities and Agriculture Minister and current Shura Council chairman Ali Saleh Al Saleh had agreed to give the council the ground floor of the building, which was later tendered for renovation.
But he said this has been stopped by the new Minister Mansoor Bin Rajab.
"I don't know the reason behind this decision, but the ministry is using a building that's not theirs in the first place, since the building has been the property of Manama Municipality since 1919, when it was first formed," said Mr Al Sebea'a.
"The ministry has no premises, considering that its building should be provided by the Finance Ministry and from what I know there is none allotted for it.
"It has taken over the municipality building and it should leave and find somewhere else."
Mr Al Jazeeri said the ministry was waiting for them to give up the place.
"Former council chairman Murthada Bader had been fighting for us to stay in this historical building over the past four years and we managed to achieve a lot, with nine councillors packed in one office and the chairman having his own," he said.
"The ministry wants us to leave so it can occupy the place, because it too is desperate to expand.
"I believe the current premises is strategic as it is located in line with the ministry and the municipality.
"If we leave, we would be far away, which means instead of visiting officials' offices nearby, we would have to take a long drive."
Mr Redha said moving out would be inconvenient. "It means we would need to employ drivers and more employees, considering we would have more duties," he said.
"We are now depending on municipality employees to do some of our jobs, so if we move, we would face difficulties.
"The place we are in is strategic because the officials we need are on hand but if we move to Juffair or Umm Al Hassam, it will take us more time."
Mr Redha said it was still unknown why the refurbishment plan for their premises had stopped, although approved by the previous minister.
"It would just cost BD20,000 and our premises would become like that of the ministry," he said.
"The part we are in is old and crumbling, while the part the ministry is in looks amazing, because it is renovated every year.
"If the place is given the attention it needs, then we would not need to move, since the ground floor too would be given to us, which is currently unused." Councillors Sadiq Rahma and Khamees Al Rumaihi are the others without desks.

2007-01-23T09:47:00.000+03:00

Seeking more space

NGOs may move out of Adliya districtBy Titus FilioStaff ReporterNon-governmental organisations (NGOs) occupying spaces in government-owned apartments in a section in Adliya may be moving out soon.Some society heads cited the need for more space while others lamented the place is in need of repairs although they are clueless on who should be responsible for providing the budget to redevelop the whole area.The area covers some three blocks with more than twenty three-storey buildings. These buildings were used during the 1980s as a housing facility for expatriate workers in ministries and government agencies.The area, by the late 1990s, had become a landmark – an “NGO District” – providing headquarters to some 40 non-governmental organisations and professional societies.But some of the organisations in the area are already scouting for other options to establish their base.The biggest organisations include the General Federation of Bahrain Trade Unions (GFBTU) and the Bahrain Society of Training and Development (BSTD). Officials from both organisations said there are already plans in their respective societies to move out.“The place has been our home for many years but it has become small for our growing organisation,” said GFBTU Chairman Abdulghaffar Abdulhussein.“We do have plans to develop our own headquarters somewhere else. We are looking to do that in the very near future,” he said.The GFBTU holds periodic meetings in one of the buildings that they occupy in the outer section of the area. They use practically the whole building but their rooms can only accommodate a maximum 50 people for every meeting they hold in any of the rooms. The federation has more than 50 member trade unions under its umbrella.BSTD Chairman Hussein Ibrahim told the Tribune that their board had outlined plans to develop its own site last year.He said they would vacate the BSTD premises as soon as their new site is completed.They occupy a building adjacent to the GFBTU.“This is the project of the new board and we hope to have our own headquarters within the next two years,” Ibrahim said.“Some buildings may need repair work too but we are not too sure if this place will still be maintained,” said a board member of one of the societies in the area.“The place has been a lot of help to us but some societies here do not have their own money to do renovation on their own or develop their headquarters,” he said.Some of the most prominent organisations headquartered in the area include the Bahrain Human Rights Society (BHRS), the Bahrain Bar Society, Consumer Society, Sociologists Society and the offices of a children’s charity fund.Last week, at the height of bad weather, members of the BHRS and the Sociologists association had to struggle through flooded corridors because of problems with toilet drainage in their area.Some parts of the area are also flooded during heavy rains.The buildings were actually designed as residents and not for long-term use by societies.Parking has become a problem for many whenever there are big meetings hosted by the societies.The associations occupy the buildings by virtue of a law which specifies that the Government must provide headquarters to recognised organisations.It is an almost autonomous section in the area and even the Manama Municipality exercises a “hands off” policy over the area.“The area is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Works but the Ministry of Social Affairs also has some responsibility over the area,” said Jassim Redha, secretary at the Manama Municipal Council. “We know that many organisations are facing difficulties now because the place is small for their functions,” Redha said.“There is yet no definite build-up project in the area but surely it will still have its useful purposes even if it is vacated by the NGOs,” he said.There are more than 200 recognised non-government organisations and professional societies. Some of the organisations fund and operate their own premises while some are provided with space like those in Adliya.Some new organisations are still petitioning the government to provide them with

2007-01-22T09:51:00.000+03:00

Top councillor without desk!

By MOHAMMED AL A'ALI
A LEADING municipal councillor and two colleagues are still without their own desks, let alone offices, more than a month after being elected.
Manama Municipal Council technical committee chairman Abdulmajeed Al Sebea'a and councillors Sadiq Rahma and Khamees Al Rumaihi have had to shuffle from desk to desk.
Now Mr Al Sebea'a is refusing to use the council headquarters, saying there is no room for him.
He is operating out of his original office in a major engineering consulting firm and will soon rent his own office for council work.
Mr Al Sebea'a is attending general-secretariat, council and committee meetings at the council headquarters, then going back to his original workplace.
The chairman and his secretary and the secretary-general, have their own separate offices in the council premises.
There are two offices for clerks and one office with four tables, divided amongst the seven remaining councillors.
The council and the Municipalities and Agriculture Affairs Ministry are in one premises and the Manama Municipality is in a building adjacent to it.
"Can anyone imagine, the chairman of one of the council's four committees, without any table to sit at?" said Mr Al Sebea'a
"There are four tables in the office allocated to us, which is currently occupied by the three other committee chairmen and the council vice-chairman.
"Then people ask why I am not present at the council, why should I be?"
"I am willing to go to people's houses whenever they call me, or leave a message at the council. Other than that, staying in the council building at the moment is impossible.
"Whenever I want to send an urgent email, I am forced to ask one of the clerics to leave his seat, just to use his computer, which I feel is irritating them, considering they have work to finish."
Mr Al Sebea'a is now planning to open his own office in Mahooz within the next three weeks.
"I am planning to rent out a flat in a new building there, a place where residents would be able to find me, other than the council," he said
Mr Al Sebea'a said that the former Municipalities and Agriculture Affairs Minister and current Shura Council chairman Ali Al Saleh had agreed to give the council the ground floor of the building, which was later tendered for renovation and equipment.
But this has been stopped by the new Minister Mansoor Bin Rajab.
"I don't know the reason behind this decision, but the ministry is using a building that's not theirs in the first place, since the building has been the property of the Manama Municipality since 1919, when it was first formed," he said.
"The ministry has taken over the building and they should leave it and find somewhere else, but this is impossible in a country where things are being done illogically."
Mr Al Sebea'a said people were making fun of the council, because it was in the worst part of the complex.
"The part we are in is old and crumbling, while the part the ministry is in, looks like a bank," he said.
"A regular department head there has an office bigger than that of our chairman, which is really irritating me."
Expansion
Mr Al Sebea'a said that there were plans to extend the current municipality premises, where the council would be moved to.
"The eastern part of the municipality would be developed, but it would take no less than three years before completion and until then we are being forced to stay here," he said.
Council chairman Majeed Millad Al Jazeeri said that Mr Al Sebea'a was being pushed to the verge of quitting, but he was committed to serving the people.
"I have asked the council's secretary-general to install partitions in our meeting hall, so the three remaining councillors can use the space as offices, especially Mr Al Sebea'a, who also has a lot of committee work.
"That was before going to Haj last month, but days after returning I was hospitalised and I just resumed work last Thursday.
"I will follow up the case and I am really sorry for any inconvenience Mr Al Sebea'a has gone through," he said.
Mr Al Jazeeri said that the ministry had offered to find the council alternative premises, but it was studying the options.
"This building is registered under the municipality and not the ministry, they are the ones who should leave, not us," he said.
"They are planning to expand and they say we are stopping them, while we are planning to expand and we believe they are stopping us.
"Until an agreement is reached, we are staying."

2007-01-22T09:37:00.000+03:00

Vigilante threat to labour camp

By MOHAMMED AL A'ALI
VIGILANTES in a Segaiya neighbourhood are threatening to take the law into their own hands if 100 expatriate workers are moved into accommodation in the area. Violence is likely as the residents have a history of driving out groups of expatriate workers housed in the area, says a councillor. The residents are furious that a Bahraini businessman has rented two neighbouring homes, which he is currently renovating to house 100 workers. Manama Municipal Council has been trying to negotiate a compromise between the property owner, the businessman who has rented the buildings and the residents.
But the residents are adamant that they will drive the men out if they move into the homes.
Residents in the same area have driven out other expatriate workers by threatening to set their accommodation ablaze.
They have a history of violent clashes with expatriate workers housed in the area, area councillor and council technical committee chairman Majeed Al Sebea'a told the GDN yesterday.
"The expatriate labourers who were living here before, of whom many have left, have been doing many irritating and immoral things that the residents were upset with," he said.
"They tried to remove them peacefully, but they were unable to do so, so they resorted to force, which I believe is wrong.
"If they don't want these labourers, then I can't force them to accept them, even if the labourers don't break the law."
Mr Al Sebea'a said that 30 family heads out of 400 people had submitted a petition to the council, warning that if nothing is done, they will take action themselves. "They are threatening to stage demonstrations by the end of the week or early next week," he said. "There were plans before to turn the house into a school, but residents rejected the proposal and permission was never given. "I have met the businessman renting the place and he is willing to co-operate, but is unable to do so because he is obliged to fulfil a two-year contract." The businessman renting the two houses is former Shura Council member Ibrahim Nonoo, who told the GDN yesterday that he did not want trouble in the neighbourhood or any harm to his employees. "I am obliged to pay BD46,000 for the two-year contract and whether I stay or leave, I must pay it, unless the government forces me out," he said. "Mr Al Sebea'a is very keen on having the issue solved, but the residents don't want to compromise. "The new employees are expected to come in batches for my Basma Cleaning Company. "There is no legislation banning bachelor labourers living in residential neighbourhoods, but if the government sends me a paper saying otherwise, then the contract will be terminated immediately." Mr Nonoo said he was willing to sit with residents and promise them that his workers would not disturb the community. "Whatever the residents believe is wrong I will ask my employees not to do," he said.

2007-01-21T10:31:00.000+03:00

Bay project hits traffic snag

By MOHAMMED AL A'ALI
MANAMA
PERMISSION to start construction work on the $2.5 billion (BD945 million) Bahrain Bay waterfront residential, commercial and retail district could be delayed by councillors worried over traffic congestion.
Manama Municipal Council wants to change the current proposed entrance and exit routes, saying they could create massive jams in an already congested area.
A council delegation led by technical committee chairman Abdulmajeed Al Sebea'a has urged Bay's officials to find alternate routes, or else it will not give them permission to start construction after reclamation work is finished.
"The current entrance, from near the Diplomat Hotel and exit from the Financial Harbour traffic light is a disaster, if we imagine traffic five years from now," said Mr Al Sebea'a.
"We are not against the project, which as an engineer I believe is magnificent, and this is why we want it to be completed smoothly, without any problems.
"The council takes its decision on whether to allow construction to begin or not from various ministries and government organisations and at the moment we have received no consent from the Works and Housing Ministry roads directorate."
He said that Bay officials were due to meet with neighbouring Financial Harbour and Bahrain City Centre officials to present them with an idea to construct bridges, which are away from congested avenues.
"It (the route) would start from Al Fateh Corniche and end at the Seef District, without flowing into the King Faisal Highway, which is facing huge traffic jams, considering that there are many routes leading to it," said Mr Al Sebea'a.
"We believe that the new adjacent route to be used by new investments on the other side of the King Faisal Highway will help ease congestion a little bit, but until the highway's expansion in 2012, I believe it would be a mess."
Bahrain Bay will include commercial, residential and retail properties, set around the waterfront, with the country's first Four Seasons hotel as the centrepiece. The development will feature outdoor cafes, shops, restaurants and residential properties from high-rise buildings, condominiums, villas and hotel-serviced apartments.
More than 25,000 people are expected to live in the finished development, which is being developed in an area of around two million cubic square metres, and is set for completion in 2011.
The development will also feature the new global headquarters for Arcapita, which is expected to be completed by 2008.
The project is a joint venture between Arcapita Bank and a private Bahrain-based investment group, made up of individuals whose identities are being kept confidential. Mr Al Sebea'a said he was worried about 25,000 more people using the road.
"This is in addition to thousands of workers going there every day," he said.
"We have been receiving complaints from people telling us to urge the concerned ministries to speed up expansion of the highway, because they are forced to wait in traffic queues for more than 45 minutes every day.
"Queues reach up to the Pearl Roundabout flyover and if more projects are built there, then there will be traffic havoc.
"This is why the Bay will be delayed, unless they come up with better routes."

2007-01-18T11:13:00.000+03:00

Clinic plan is cleared

By MOHAMMED AL A'ALI
MANAMA
A BAHRAINI doctor got the go-ahead to expand his clinic yesterday, despite three rejections by the former Manama Municipal Council. The new council voted unanimously in favour of permitting Dr Faisal Al Mahroos to add an extra half-storey to the clinic, as part of plans to turn it into a state-of-the-art diabetes centre.
But the councillors ordered him to instal opaque glass throughout the entire building, to
protect the privacy of neighbours.
Former Municipalities and Agriculture Minister and current Shura Council chairman Ali Saleh Al Saleh had instructed councillors to study the issue as a special case in November, after twice rejecting it.
Dr Al Mahroos received support from former area councillor and newly elected MP Sayed Jameel Kadhim, who urged his colleagues to reconsider.
However, he was absent during voting and the majority of councillors
voted against the doctor's appeal at the time.
The doctor has been trying to turn his four-and-a-half-storey clinic in Zinj into a five-storey clinic.
The council had already given him permission once before to increase the height to its existing four-and-a-half storeys, although zoning for the area limits buildings to three storeys.
Former councillors also ordered the doctor to instal opaque glass in his building, after neighbours informed the council they were worried about strangers peering into their homes.
Committee chairman and area councillor Abdulmajeed Al Sebea'a, whose committee studied the request, said new councillors had no intention of hindering the doctor, because his project was beneficial to the area.
"I have heard the former council has received complaints from the doctor's neighbours that his clinic is already towering over their houses and buildings," he said.
"I don't think that adding half-a-storey will make a difference, if the building is already higher than the rest.
"After investigating the case, I found that only two neighbours are complaining.
"Their concerns were genuine, but two aren't enough to stop a huge project. In the end, my job as area councillor is to ensure everyone is happy."
Mr Al Sebea'a - who is the engineer who originally came up with the drawings for the building - said it was already five-storeys on one side, which is near the residents, while the part in which the expansion is asked for, is near the main road.
"Dr Al Mahroos is a well-known diabetes doctor, who is trying to develop the services he provides to patients," he said.
"He has told me that he was planning to buy new hi-tech equipment, but had no place to instal it, so this addition to the building would help him."
"I regret the hassle Dr Al Mahroos has gone through over the past year, but this year is different and I hope he is happy now, after getting his permit.
Dr Al Mahroos was not available for comment.

2007-01-16T09:16:00.000+03:00

New call to move expat workers

By geoffrey bew
A COUNCILLOR has called for bachelors living in Muharraq to be moved away from families, following complaints from residents.
Constituency seven representative Ali Al Muqla said problems had arisen after Asian men had been allowed to reside in several parts of the district.
He yesterday appealed to the newly-appointed Municipalities and Agriculture Minister Mansoor bin Rajab for help to tackle the issue.
The councillor raised the matter as the minister met politicians for the first time since the elections during a Muharraq Municipal Council meeting in Busaiteen.
"There are now areas where there are some bachelors living, most of them Asian and they are bothering the people, so we want to solve this problem," said Mr Al Muqla.
"We want a full study to look at putting them in certain areas away from families."
Mr Al Muqla said the problems with bachelors had been going on for around a year and it was steadily getting worse.
He told the GDN four Bahraini families living in Arad had complained about their bachelor neighbours, claiming they were noisy and disturbed them at 5am when trucks came to collect them for work.
Allegations have also been made about bachelors walking around near their homes wearing only their underwear.
However, Mr Rajab told the meeting there was little he could do because migrant workers had a right to live somewhere and Bahrain had a duty to comply with human rights laws and conventions.
He suggested senior members of all of the country's municipal councils meet to discuss the issue and come up with places in their areas where they would be happy to house bachelors.
Manama Municipal Council first mooted the idea of relocating expatriates into special zones following clashes between Bahrainis and Asians in the capital in 2004.
Then, Manama Municipal Council chairman Murtadha Bader said Bahrainis accounted for just 20 per cent of residents in Manama and that this would fall to 11pc within 10 years if current trends continued.
He told the GDN Bahrainis had complained that vice dens and bootleggers were turning their neighbourhoods into crime havens.

2006-12-20T23:58:00.000+03:00

Floods action plan 'ignored'

By TARIQ KHONJI
FLOODING which ruined people's homes and brought peril to the roads is being blamed on the government.
Drainage systems are lacking or badly maintained, roads poorly designed and there is no emergency action plan to cope with flooding in place, says a municipal councillor.
Road accidents and housing problems could have been avoided if a plan had been in place, says Capital Municipal Council member Sadiq Ahmed Ali Rahma.
He blamed the Works and Housing Ministry's Sewage Directorate for failing to maintain drainage systems alongside roads.
"It seems the directorate just doesn't care," said Mr Rahma. "They should have a special emergency response plan and they should have been ready for this.
"We all know this is the rainy season, so why didn't they make preparations beforehand?
"A lot of drainage systems are blocked because they are badly maintained. They should have started working on them two months early."
Mr Rahma named Al Suwaisa Road, the Pearl Roundabout, Shaikh Salman Highway, King Faisal Highway, Salmaniya Road and parts of Gudaibiya as being particularly challenging.
Some roads are also badly designed, with slopes pushing rainwater away from the drainage into people's homes, claimed Mr Rahma.
Mr Rahma said this was the case in blocks 314 in Nuaim, 302 in Manama, 303 and 302 in Juffair, and parts of Nabih Saleh and Burhama. The ministry did not comment.

2006-12-15T13:15:00.000+03:00

Council lesson for 20 students

By MOHAMMED AL A' ALI
CHILDREN were allowed to take part in a Manama Municipal Council meeting for the first time yesterday, even giving feedback to councillors on problems they are facing in their areas.
Twenty Umm Ayman Primary School for Girls students were present at the meeting, which saw councillors divided into four committees and the new chairmen elected.
Al Wefaq's Sadiq Al Basri was elected as financial, administrative and legislative committee chairman, with council vice-chairman Al Menbar's Tariq Al Shaikh and Al Wefaq's Sadiq Rahma as members.
Al Wefaq's Fadhel Abbas was elected as public relations and information committee chairman, with Mr Al Basri, Mr Rahma and Khamis Al Rumaihi as members.
Al Wefaq's Abdulmajeed Al Sebea'a was elected as technical committee chairman, with Mr Abbas, Mr Al Rumaihi and Al Wefaq's Hameed Al Basri as members.
The services and public utilities committee chairmanship is still undecided with Mr Al Shaikh and Mr Al Basri both competing for the post.
Other committee members are Mr Al Sebea'a and Mr Al Rumaihi.
Council chairman Majeed Millad Al Jazeeri said the council was just beginning work.
"The children present with us are here to direct us in our council work, as we begin our four-year term," he said.
"Whether the problems are roads, sewage or lighting - they have addressed us hoping that we could find solutions to them.
"The students' presence has given councillors encouragement because it shows that people believe that the councils are important to the country and its development.
"We are here to provide services to the people and what better way than to listen to problems from children."
He said the new experience of having children at the meeting was beneficial.
"Now councillors have a greater role, not just serving their constituencies' eligible voters, but even children - who have high hopes and ambitions for councillors," he said.
"I hope that other schools would attend our meetings for further support, because the children's presence has really made us proud."

2006-12-07T09:06:00.000+03:00

Four council posts decided

By MOHAMMED AL A'ALI
MANAMA
FOUR new municipal council chairmen and vice-chairmen were elected yesterday.
Former Southern Municipal Council vice-chairman Al Asala's Ali Al Mohannadi was elected unopposed as chairman, while re-elected councillor Yousif Al Dossari was unopposed as vice-chairman.
Former Central Municipal Council services committee chairman Abdulrahman Al Hassan was elected unopposed, while former council vice-chairman Abbas Mahfoodh was also re-elected to the post.
Newly-elected councillors were sworn in at separate council meetings, attended by Municipalities and Agriculture Affairs Under-Secretary Dr Juma Al Ka'abi and outgoing members.
"It is a very promising beginning for all of us and everyone here is eager to succeed," said Dr Al Ka'abi.
"There is no doubt that councils have been instrumental in municipal work and its development over the past four years.
"Hopefully those newly elected will continue in that path for better services to everyone.
"The councils are the link between the people and the government in regard to services and this is why councillors have a great responsibility."
A workshop for new councillors is already lined up with the relevant ministries, he said.
"Councillors should show up for that workshop because it will guide them to the best way of serving the people," said Dr Al Ka'abi.
At the Southern council meeting, outgoing chairman Khalid Al Buainain said that words could not list the council's achievements over the past four years, despite serious problems.
"We were brought to our offices in October in 2002 with promises that we would be helped in every way possible," he said.
"We came in and discovered that there were no employees, no offices, a weak employment budget and on top of that a controversial municipal law.
"But this didn't put us down, as we managed to get many important projects, like new public parks, road improvements, investment projects and have even managed to get dilapidated houses torn down and rebuilt or renovated.
"We have done our best and people should forgive me, in my failures as a chairman.
"I hope that the new councillors will fight for the good of the people regardless of their family or background.
"People are anxious to get better municipal work and it is up to each and everyone of you to help ensure that."
Mr Al Mohannadi was happy with his colleagues' trust and said he hoped to continue his plans to develop the council.
"There are a lot of challenges, but with our joint efforts they will all end and the dawn of a new era will begin," he said.
At the Central council meeting, outgoing chairman Ibrahim Fakhro said that the council was the best amongst all councils because of the coherence between its members, regardless of their political allegiance.
"Whether Al Wefaq, Al Asala or Al Menbar, everyone was working as a loving family without any political issue spoiling our unity," he said.
"Services are not politics and serving the people has been and will continue being our main purpose, regardless of our political belief.
"The former council has inked that out and new councillors should follow it, unless they want to harm the people, who have high hopes on them."
Mr Al Hassan said that the path laid by the late chairman Ibrahim Hussain, who died from a sudden illness in October, would continue.
"It is not about religious belief, it is about dedicating your time to the people," he said.
A farewell party was held yesterday at Gulf Hotel's Zehla restaurant to honour outgoing Northern Municipal Council members.
Journalists who have covered the councils over the past four years were also honoured at the event. Speaking at the event were former council chairman Sayed Majeed Al Sayed and newly elected chairman Yousif Al Bouri.

2006-12-07T09:05:00.000+03:00

Chairmen elected

Mr Bader congratulates Mr Al Jazeeri on the chairmanship
By MOHAMMED AL A'ALI
MANAMA
CHAIRMEN and vice-chairmen of three municipal councils were elected yesterday at their councils' first meetings. Al Wefaq's Majeed Millad Al Jazeeri was elected unopposed as chairman for the Manama Municipal Council, while Al Menbar's Tariq Al Shaikh was elected vice-chairman. The Muharraq Municipal Council elected independent Mohammed Hammada as chairman and Al Asala's Abdulnasser Yousif Al Mahmeed as vice-chairman. Al Wefaq's Yousif Al Bouri was elected chairman unopposed, while Al Wefaq's Ali Al Jabal was named vice-chairman.
Present at the meetings, where newly elected councillors were sworn in, was Municipalities and Agriculture Affairs Municipalities Under-Secretary Dr Juma Al Ka'abi and outgoing members.
"We wish every new councillor success in municipal work, which is one of His Majesty King Hamad's pillars for democratic progress," said Dr Al Ka'abi.
"Councils are the link between service ministries and the people, who have demands and needs.
"Over the past four years, during our first experience with the councils, councillors have managed to serve people in the best way possible and projects like public parks, renovations of houses and other municipal programmes are a great example of that."
Dr Al Ka'abi said that among the achievements is Sitra Mall, which has been built on His Majesty King Hamad's expense to serve the people of the area.
He stressed the importance of co-operation between the councils and the government.
"A workshop for new councillors is already lined up with the relevant ministries," said Dr Al Ka'abi.
Outgoing council chairman Murthada Bader at the Manama council meeting broke down in tears as he addressed new and former council members.
"I am saying goodbye to the work I have dedicated a lot of time too, because I fell in love with it and I don't know how my days will be with me out of the council," he said.
"To those who will leave with me after a few minutes, you have done an outstanding job over the past four years and your efforts are the foundation of municipal work."
He told new councillors that there were still many challenges and continued demands for the municipal law to be further improved.

2006-12-05T22:59:00.000+03:00

Meeting to finalise top council positions

AN URGENT meeting of newly-elected Central Municipal Council members will be held today to nominate candidates for chairman and vice-chairman.
A formal meeting will be held on Thursday, when the official votes will be taken for the two key posts and others. Municipalities and Agriculture Affairs Ministry Under-Secretary Dr Juma Al Ka'abi will attend the meeting.
Al Wefaq has four members on the council and one of them, re-elected councillor and former vice-chairman Abbas Mahfoodh, who met Al Wefaq secretary-general and newly-elected MP Shaikh Ali Salman, hopes to emerge from the talks as either chairman or vice-chairman.
"A balance must be achieved in the council, so if an Al Asala or Al Menbar member is chairman, then the vice-chairman should be from Al Wefaq, or vice-versa," said Mr Mahfoodh, who is Al Wefaq's municipal bloc chairman for the Central Governorate.
"We have already decided that Al Menbar's Tariq Al Shaikh should remain as vice-chairman at the Manama Municipal Council.
He said Al Wefaq held the Central Municipal Council chairmanship for four years, until the death of Ibrahim Hussain in October.
"Even though we were still the majority, we had independent councillor Ibrahim Fakhro as chairman for the remaining two months," said Mr Mafoodh.
"When I go to the meeting I hope that councillors will leave behind any sectarian or political agenda, because this is not parliament, this is a council.
"It is either Al Menbar's Abdulrahman Al Hassan as chairman and me as vice-chairman, or vice-versa. I hope that we reach an agreement which ensures fairness," he said.

2006-11-28T09:29:00.000+03:00

Fresh lease of life for tenants

Court stays evacuation of Kuwaiti BuildingSandeep Singh GrewalStaff ReporterThe High Civil Court ruled that evacuation of the Kuwaiti Building be kept on hold until the final verdict is passed. They decided that the municipality would be given 10 days to prepare a report and send it to a technical committee, who in turn will present the final report in the court.Two Bahraini tenants living in the building filed a complaint with the Higher Appeal Court against the Director of the Capital Governorate Municipal Council to review the court’s decision regarding demolition of the building and appoint a construction engineer specialist to conduct a report on whether the building needs to be demolished or repaired.One of the residents who shifted from the building told the Tribune: “The residents plan to file a complaint against the Manama Municipality and want an engineer to review the case with both the parties and prepare a report. The report should be analysed in the court and till then the residents who have not found any accommodation should be allowed to move in till the final verdict is announced.”The tenants will meet today to discuss the matter and file a complaint against the municipality. A resident said: “There are security personnel who are guarding the building and are not easily allowing the residents to take their remaining belongings. Almost all the residents have found accommodation and about 20 bachelors are being provided accommodation by the Coordination Committee of Indian Associations.”Earlier, the Ministry of Interior sealed the twin tower complex following the order they received from the Execution Court to immediately evacuate the building. Many families had to immediately vacate their flats and look for new accommodation and have signed the lease agreement for flats in other buildings.

2006-11-25T10:04:00.000+03:00

Keys to comfort

Eighteen families from the Central Municipal council received the keys to their new homes. Built by the Housing Rehabilitation Programme (HRP), a Royal Gesture of His Majesty King Hamad. “This is the fourth handing over ceremony within the past week and a total of 60 new houses have been distributed in Central, northern, Manama and the Muharraq Municipal Council areas,” said Dr. Nabeel M. Abualfatih, Assistant Undersecretary for Housing Affairs and Chairman of the Housing Rehabilitation Committee.New homes have replaced the ageing and dilapidated houses in which the families had lived earlier. This is being done all over Bahrain by the HRP which began a full scale implementation this year and already has completed 100 houses with another 265 under way.The eighteen houses that were handed over were located in Sitra-Mahaza, Sitra-Wadayan, Sitra-Jharjiya, Sitra-Suffala, Sitra-AbuAl Aish, East Eker, Tubli, East Riffa, Al-A’ali, Nuwaidrat, Salmabad and Sanad.

2006-11-20T11:15:00.000+03:00

Key to comfortable life

Nine families get rebuilt housesFamilies from Nabi Saleh, Al Mahooz, Juffair, Al Gareefa, and Bilad Al Qadeem received the keys to their newly-built homes. The nine families in the Manama Municipal Council area had lived in old, run-down buildings. Now they will enjoy the benefits of modern high-standard houses, thanks to the national housing rehabilitation programme, initiated by His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.Working in co-operation with the five municipal councils, the programme provides new homes for low-income Bahraini families who own and live in old, deteriorated houses. The rundown homes are demolished and replaced, on the same site, with high-quality dwellings and presented to the owners as a Royal gift. The programme began full-scale implementation in the beginning of the year and has completed 200 houses and another 260 are being repaired or rebuilt.Steadily expanding, the programme has a target of 1,000 houses to be rebuilt by April.

2006-11-14T10:02:00.000+03:00

Election 2006 Capital Governorate - Constituency 2

This constituency covers a considerable area of the Capital Governorate stretching from Central Market to the periphery of Awal Cinema, and covers the famous Manama Souq, which is set to receive a face-lift soon, the hugely popular Central Market and Ras Roman. The constituency will see a whopping 13 candidates including a woman in the race for the parliamentary seat, but the dice is heavily loaded in favour of Khalil Ibrahim Marzooq of Al Wefaq Society, says Bonny Mascarenhas. A triangular contest is on the cards for the Municipal Council seat, after two candidates dropped out of the race recently. Here again, Majid Milal of Al Wefaq Society seems to be miles ahead in the contest.Off the beaten trackThe Central Market of Manama is a major landmark of the Kingdom. It houses both the wholesale and retail markets catering to all sections of society. From just a fish market in the eighties, Central Market near the Pearl roundabout developed into a major shopping place and is now ‘The’ place for fish, meat, poultry, vegetables and fruits. Four massive sheds with several stalls inside were put up to house the commodities separately. Alas, the vendors now complain of poor maintenance with the sheds turning smelly and stuffy since the air-conditioners break down frequently. They are hoping that whoever wins the election from this constituency will take a hard look at their grievances and restore the market to its lost glory.The candidates speak...Our effort will be country-wide: MarzooqKhalil Ibrahim Marzooq comes across as a soft-spoken and mild-mannered person. But speak to him about issues and problems, and he gets into an animated discussion and can give you a run for your money on any topic. Holding a master’s degree, Marzooq is tipped to come out tops in the election for the Chamber of Deputies seat.Why did you decide to contest this time around?I am well educated and am in regular touch with the people. I was fortunate that the Al Wefaq Society nominated me and it is a challenge for me to do my best for the country. Last year the Al Wefaq had boycotted the parliamentary society so I had not participated. But I was active in the municipal campaign. What is your opinion on women candidates?I think gender should not be a hindrance for a person to contest in elections. Their qualifications, experience, leadership qualities and political background if any should be the criteria that should be looked at. I think women should definitely be part of the election process and in fact Al Wefaq is supporting Munira Fakhro in her campaign.I am also of the opinion that women should definitely vote. The constitution says that every citizen of a certain age is allowed to vote. Voting is not gender-based.What is your election manifesto?The Society has done a lot of research in the past years and feel that housing, road infrastructure and education are the main issues we should look into.How do you aim to work on these issues?First of all let me say that since I am affiliated to the society, whatever action I plan will have been well thought of by experts and they will advise us on what is the best way to approach or resolve the issue. Also as a group all our efforts will be country-wide and not just in my constituency, which is what happens with an independent candidate.Give us your take on the naturalisation issue.I and the Society are not against it, but we feel that only deserving candidates should get this. People with good qualifications, skills or others who will add to the progress of the country should certainly be made citizens but at the same time a certain percentage should be maintained like other countries.Currently people are being called and asked to become citizens, and this is not right, we should not do this. Citizenship should be earned and not given away like cheap throwaways.There are not enough houses and funds for the current Bahraini citizens, giving away citizenship to others will only be a burden on the country.I will carry on from where I left: MilalMajeed Milal is the sitting Municipal Councillor and is a popular candidate in the constituency. He expects to win this election in one round with at least 50% of the votes.Do you think you did a good job as a councillor?I think I completed a lot of what I had set out to do. We managed to get maintenance works done on 12 roads, and with the cooperation of the Ministry of Housing, completed three houses for the locals with another 10 awaiting completion. Additionally 14 bars were closed as these were situated in predominantly Muslim areas. Why did you decide to contest again?Well, there are still some incomplete projects and if elected, I will be able to carry on from where I left. For example, there is a plan for 1640 flats to be built in an empty plot of land. Along with the Municipality and Ministry of Housing, the project has been passed and only a few minor details need to be ironed out. I feel that if a new person comes in, he would have to learn the ropes all over and this could result in delays.What else will you do if elected?Follow up the completion of pavements for roads like the Manama Souq, Imam Ali Hussain road, etc, provide maintenance of public areas and much more. Al Wefaq has drawn up a blue print and we will try to follow this.Do you think it is an advantage to work under the umbrella of a society?Certainly. The member elected on a society’s platform is assured of the support of all the members from the society, while an independent does not enjoy such an advantage.What is your opinion on naturalisation?I think naturalisation should be carried out as per the laws of the land, and not as a favour to a person or persons who may in some way be advantageous to one’s purpose.Narrow roads and rising rentsLack of housing, rising rents and naturalisation are the main issues that the elected candidates will have to address. The constituency is dotted with narrow roads and the increasing number of buildings without adequate or no parking facilities on these streets cause a major problem for the residents. Additionally the high rents for these new flats puts a strain on their finances forcing them to scale down the social ladder a notch or move out. They also feel that naturalisation process was depriving them of their jobs with the newer citizens getting the cream of the jobs. Reports of the presence of about 800 naturalised citizens without CPRs has angered the residents who feel that this was an undemocratic practice. Voters have their sayAqeel Ali: The sitting councillor has improved our area and brought in streetlights where there were none. We know his work and I think he will have the majority of votes in this election too. Maybe he will improve the area further. My vote is for him. Yousuf Bu’allai: With the increase in population in the area, and subsequent increase in vehicles, there is a major problem with parking and people land up double parking causing inconvenience to all. In the more developed areas of the Kingdom, such acts would immediately attract a parking violation ticket, but in our area there is no such action.Jawad Al Salman: I hope the elected candidates will strive towards creating more jobs and housing units for the increasing number of families. In Manama Souq area, single flats are occupied by two families due to shortage of accommodation and also due to rising rents. Also adequate parking spaces should be provided by new buildings or commercial complexes that are being constructed.Sayed Ahmed Sayed Na’ma: Democracy is still in its infancy here. The elected members do not have any real power in their hands. Also when an independent is elected, he disappears and no one can ask him what he is doing. But if a candidate represents a society then at least we can approach them and air our grievances. They will ensure that the candidate will keep the promises that were made. Swing FactorAffiliation to political societies, good educational background and the absence of any anti-incumbency wave versus the rookies in the field. That seems to be the situation in this heavily one-sided electoral battle.Both Khalil Ibrahim Marzooq and Majid Milal, the Al Wefaq candidates for the Chamber of Deputies and Municipal Council seats respectively, are in a commanding position at this stage of electioneering. The equation is unlikely to change, and the dozen opponents in the battle for parliament seat are more likely to fall like the proverbial nine pins. Majid, locked in a triangular contest, is equally stong as he has a proven track record to back him as the ideal candidate. Pretty much a decided case. Straw PollCHAMBER OF DEPUTIESKhalil Ibrahim Marzooq - 75% Other candidates fail to make even a mention among the voters.MUNICIPAL COUNCILMajid Milal 75%Hussain Fardan 15%Ahmed Hassan Ibrahim 10% Fact fileChamber of Deputies - Isa bin RajabMunicipal Council - Majid MilalElectorate - 7200 (0ver 50% women)

2006-11-01T10:46:00.000+03:00

Demolition ordered

Higher court upholds ruling to raze Kuwaiti building
Sandeep Singh Grewal
Contributor

Name: Kuwaiti building
Age: 30 years
Address: Gudaibiya
Present status: breathing its last

The Kuwaiti building will be razed.
The High Civil Court yesterday upheld a lower court ruling and said the Manama Municipality could go ahead with its plan to pull down the ‘unsafe’ 11-storey structure.
The first three storeys have shops and the other eight have flats occupied by families.
“We are happy with the court decision. For months we had been waiting for this verdict,” the director-general of the municipalities, Abdul Karim Hassan, told the Tribune after the court proclaimed the verdict.
“The building is not safe to live in. It can collapse anytime.
“A huge fire some 10 years back had damaged the structure and since then it has been in a bad shape.
“The structure is weak and the Civil Defence Department has already confirmed in a report that the building is unsafe to live in. Walls have developed cracks. The ceiling is falling.
“The lifts are supported by additional steel reinforcement which won’t last long. How can we put the lives of so many tenants and shopkeepers in danger?”
“In 10 days we hope to secure the court order to ask the tenants to vacate the building. Surely, we would cooperate with the building management. But if they refuse, we will adhere to our rules and go ahead with our plans to demolish the structure,” Hassan said.
Till evening, tenants were yet to receive any communication on the court order.
“We have not received any information from the building owners. When I contacted the management of the building in the afternoon they said they were waiting for the court verdict,” said one tenant, after learning about the verdict from the Tribune.
Fifty per cent of Block A and 75 per cent of Block B are in use. The court decision will render many families homeless because they will not have much time to look for alternatives and shift,” he said.
Some residents were so enraged that they said they would not pay their rent. “I have been living in this flat for 10 years. Now I suddenly learn the building will be razed. I have two children. Where would I find a house and shift them?
“The rents for most decent accommodations are high. If I want a similar accommodation I would have to shell out more money.
“This is unfair. The building management should have given us advance notice to vacate. There are no laws that would protect tenants’ interests.
“We should be compensated. Many tenants and shopkeepers have spent a lot of money to maintain their shops and flats. Isn’t it the responsibility of the building management?” asked another tenant.
The Manama Municipality had moved a lower court for approval to bring down the building in July after the Civil Defence Directorate declared the building unsafe.
On August 27, the court ruled in favour of the council. Then the building owners appealed the High Civil Court.

2006-10-21T09:51:00.000+03:00

Contest is for more powers

81 candidates, including two women, file papers for municipal poll on the first daySandeep Singh GrewalContributorMore powers for the municipal councils is the focus of most of the candidates contesting the civic elections.Registration for the elections started yesterday at five centres in as many governorates. A total of 81 candidates including two women filed papers on the first day. The poll centre in the Capital Governorate witnessed a good turnout of candidates.Taqr Hassan Bin Rajab contesting from District-2 in the governorate, told the Tribune, “The first and the foremost thing to improve the performance of the councils is to give them more powers so that they can achieve their goals. This can be done if the municipal law is amended. “For example, in the capital Manama, many roads and buildings are in a bad condition and need to be improved. This needs immediate planning.” he said.Sheikh Tariq Taha Shaikh contesting from District 1 said, “There needs to be further collaboration between ministries and the parliament to expedite council work. Many projects were passed by the outgoing Manama Council but nothing has been done yet as they are yet to be approved by the parliament. “A collective effort will help tackle issues like housing, electricity, roads and infrastructure.”Two female candidates filed papers in the Muharraq Governorate. One of them, Sabah Al Dossari, told the Tribune, “The key area I would be focusing on is the housing situation in my constituency. If I make it to the council, I will set up a committee to directly coordinate with the parliament on various projects. Modernising the Arad Library which has been neglected by the authorities, is also on my agenda.”Other female candidates are Safiya Al Hassan and Jameela Al Sayed from the Manama Governorate, Fatima Salman from the Muharraq and Himyan Al Ruwaee from the Southern governorates.About 130 candidates are likely to file papers. They include 33 from the Muharraq Governorate, 27 in Manama, 30 in Central, 26 in Northern and 10 in Southern governorates. Al Wefaq National Islamic Society will field 23 candidates. The Wa’ad National Democratic Action Society will field Hussain Al Fardan in District-9 and Hamid Al Rashid in District 7 in the Northern Governorate; Hassan Salman in the Central Governorate (District 8); Abdulaziz Hassan in the Muharraq Governorate (District-7); and Safiya Al Hassan in the Capital Governorate (District-2).There would be two candidates of Wa’ad who would be contesting for the parliament and municipal election the in Muharraq Governorate (District-7). Wa’ad president Ebrahim Sharif told the Tribune that there would be joint campaigning for both.Al Methaq Society is likely to field six candidates.

2006-10-20T10:30:00.000+03:00

Poll papers from today

Officials expect fewer municipal nominationsNaila BarakatStaff ReporterThe candidates for the municipal council elections will file their nominations from today. The process concludes at five registration centres on October 24.Sources told the Bahrain Tribune yesterday that this time around, the nominations would be fewer than those submitted for the parliamentary elections because of fewer privileges for councillors and their limited powers.The municipal elections will be held along with the parliamentary polls on November 25. The five municipal councils have 40 seats.The director of elections and referendum, Shaikha Munira bint Abdulla Al Khalifa, told the Tribune, “We will be able to know the total number of contestants only after the registration concludes. “We will also be able to know how many sitting councillors are seeking re-election.” In the presence of presiding officers, the five centres will receive papers between 8pm and 11pm during Ramadan and from 6pm to 11pm after Ramadan. The five centres in as many governorates are Hoora Girls Secondary School (Capital Governorate), Al Hidaya Boys Secondary School (Muharraq), Shaikh Mohammed Buali Al Khalifa Primary School (Northern), Umm Kulthoom Girls Intermediate School (Central) and West Riffa Girls Secondary School in the Southern Governorate.Al Menber Islamic Society and Al Wefaq Political Society, among others, have released the list of candidates.The outgoing municipal councils have contributed immensely to various sector in their four-year term. The achievements include measures to protect the environment and heritage sites, zoning of areas, strengthening building laws, setting up rehabilitation areas and gardens in the neighbourhood.One of the major achievements of the councils was the protection of the Tubli Bay and the Mameer Seashore.The Central and Manama councils coordinated with the authorities on a BD6 million rehabilitation programme for the Tubli Bay and the Mameer coast for which the first phase involving BD 1.4 million has been launched.The councils also monitored small businesses especially in the Central and Capital governorates and set regulations for them. The councils have also contributed to the national project, initiated by the His Majesty the King, Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, to rehabilitate and reconstruct old houses of the needy families.

2006-10-13T08:55:00.000+03:00

Build a beautiful Bahrain yet live in slum!

Hanna GeorgeContributorThe lack of health and safety measures at labour camps is going on even after the occurrence and re-occurrence of dangerous incidents due to depleted living conditions, in certain areas around the Kingdom. Labourers employed by construction companies are living in dreadful conditions, where water leaks, broken stairways and an altogether dwindling room and building greet them every time they come home after a day’s hard work. The Bahrain Tribune took a survey of the labour accommodations in Manama to determine the state of the buildings. Most had a room allocated to approximately eight or ten workers cramped together. Yet surprisingly they all seemed happy on the surface, as in the case of Gurdeep Singh, a labourer at camp, who said: “It is heaven, the air-condition is working, the water doesn’t leak very much and the electricity doesn’t go out frequently. On the whole we are quite happy with our accommodation.” Whereas his friend, another worker encouraged him to speak about their difficulties, but in vain.Jassim Redha, Secretary at the Manama Municipal Council, said: “All the buildings in Manama are being checked by our health and safety inspectors, a report should be out within this week and action will be taken against all unkempt houses and buildings. We have worked on a set of rules and regulations in coordination with the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Labour, which will be shortly approved.“After major accidents like the Gudaibiya fire killing 16 labourers, injuring many more and the recent roof collapse of a two-storey labour building in which luckily no one was injured, it is astonishing to see that people are still risking their lives by living in unkempt buildings ready to fall over their heads.”He said that earlier last week, the Prime Minister announced the building of a mini-city in Hidd industrial area. The area will have a complex of buildings for labourers and technicians.

2006-10-12T10:39:00.000+03:00

Flats go-ahead for Bahrainis

By MOHAMMED AL A'ALI
YOUNG Bahrainis will soon be allowed to add their own flats to their parents' government homes.The Manama Municipal Council voted yesterday in favour of the Manama Municipality proposal to amend the government housing law.
It aims to allow young Bahrainis to build their flats at their parents' government homes without having to move.
Currently, Bahrainis living in government houses are unable to rent out, expand or build without permission from His Majesty King Hamad. They can apply for permission only if they have lived there for seven years.
Council technical committee chairman Sadiq Rahma said the amendment would help young Bahrainis because they won't have to pay rent elsewhere.
"It will just cost them money to build their flat, instead of paying monthly rent," he said.
"Rent rates are expensive and are a huge burden, particularly on newly married couples.
"We have been pushing for this amendment for a long time and thankfully it has come from the government, which knows how difficult it is to find suitable accommodation these days."
Mr Rahma said the scheme was open to all applicants, but would be regulated based on specific conditions.
"The minimum area for an individual flat - whether on the side, top or first floor of the house - should be not less than 100 square metres or the request will be rejected," he said.
"The house will also be surveyed by municipality engineers to ensure that it can accommodate the additional flat.
"The flat is purely for family use and anyone renting it out will face legal action. These flats will have separate electricity and water registration, since they will be considered as a separate accommodation."
He said councillors were happy with the proposal, which many Capital Governorate residents have been calling for. "We have been receiving numerous applications asking us to amend the current government housing law," said Mr Rahma.

2006-10-07T10:43:00.000+03:00

Keep off the road

Councils enforce ban on vendorsHanna GeorgeContributorMunicipal Councils mean business. They would not put public health at stake.Health inspectors from the Central and Manama municipal councils are enforcing the ban on the sale of fruit and vegetables on roads – with an iron hand.The other day, officials from the Manama Council raided a vendor on the Sacred Heart Church road. They seized the fruit and vegetables and hauled the vendor into a van and took him to the headquarters for questioning.Sale of fruit and vegetables on roads, near junctions is becoming a major problem in the Central and Manama council areas. The vendors can be seen near the streets, adding to traffic chaos in busy areas such as the Sacred Heart Church road, for example. What adds to the problem is commotion as customers take their own time to purchase foodstuff from the street vendors. Siobhan Saleem, who has witnessed the frequent disorder on the road said, “It is now an everyday hassle to pass through the road. Vendors crowd the area and customers stop by at every corner, bringing the traffic flow to a standstill. The vendors are adamant. They refuse to move, arguing that for most of them it is the only means of livelihood. Hussain Rabah, who lives in central Manama, told the Tribune, “I earn my livelihood from selling fruit and vegetables on the street. I cannot afford to rent a stall at the Central Market.” Abbas Mafoodh, vice-chairman of the Central Municipal Council, said, “Trading on the street has been banned by the municipal councils, in co-ordination with the Ministry of Health. Most of the vendors keep their stuff uncovered, which remains exposed to the sun. Add the unhygienic surroundings and the foodstuff may not be fit for human consumption.“All food outlets and commodities should be checked by ministry officials before sale to ensure that the items are fit for human consumption.”

2006-09-30T20:51:00.000+03:00

Billboards victory for park café

By MOHAMMED AL A'ALI
MANAMA's only coffee shop situated in a public park has won a small victory in its ongoing feud with nearby residents. Municipal councillors have agreed to let Al Bahar coffee shop, in Umm Al Hassam, charge companies for advertising there.
The coffee shop owner leases the park from the Manama Municipality, but residents in the area have been campaigning to get him evicted and replace the coffee shop with a mosque.
"He wants the municipality to give him permission to set up billboards inside the park for companies to advertise, considering that his coffee shop is one of the most popular in the area," said council financial, administrative and legislative committee chairman Majeed Millad Al Jazeeri.
"It is true that the owner has some disputes with the municipality, which we hope will be settled, but we recommend he gets permission to put up billboards."
Mr Al Jazeeri made his comments in a council meeting, but did not disclose what disputes there had been between the owner and the municipality.
Al Bahar is the only Manama coffee shop still open in a public park after the Manama Municipal Council ordered the closure of Al Mishal and Al Bowara Coffee Shops on Exhibition Avenue, Hoora, and Abu Abdulrahman Coffee Shop at Al Andalus Park, Gudaibiya.
The owner's lease is not due to expire until 2012, but Mr Al Jazeeri said an offer could soon be put on the table that could see the coffee shop leave the park for good.
"We are currently finding it hard to evacuate the place, but we informed Municipalities and Agriculture Minister Ali Saleh Al Saleh who has promised to provide the owner with compensation so he could leave as soon as possible," he said.
"At the moment we have no other choice but to facilitate everything for the owner, who is investing in the public park."
Area councillor Shamlan Al Shamlan said the owner shouldn't be compensated if the advertisements are removed.
"The municipality should have the power to remove those advertisements whenever it wants without him being compensated, considering they are not mentioned in his contract," he said.
"The public park's land is earmarked for an extension to a mosque, which will be built in the area soon."
Municipality director-general Abdulkarim Hassan said an agreement would be reached with the owner to allow him to set up advertisements for one year, but he will not be compensated if they are removed during that period.
"Whatever the reason, we have the option of removing them whenever we want or else the deal is off," he said.
The three other evacuated coffee shops are now being developed into public parks.

2006-09-29T08:47:00.000+03:00

Restoring suq’s glory

BD3.5 million deal to renovate Bab Al BahrainA BD3.5 million agreement was signed yesterday to start phase one of the Manama suq development project.The accord was signed by the Minister of Municipalities Affairs and Agriculture, Ali Saleh Al Saleh, and the chairman of the board of directors of Bu Khowa Constructions, Hassan Abdullah Bu Khowa.The project follows directives of the Prime Minister, Shaikh Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, to restore the suq’s economic and historic position by developing it based on modern standards.The company is expected to complete phase one in 18 months. The phase includes the development of the area from the Government Avenue in the north to Shaikh Abdullah Avenue in the south, with a plaza in the intersection. Under phase one, shops on the avenues will also be developed, and a larger car park built along with a number of traditional coffee shops.The project also includes the incorporation of shades and improvements to frontages along Bab Al Bahrain Avenue. The renovation area will cover 250,000 square metres, stretching from Bab Al Bahrain to Shaikh Abdulla Avenue, and from Shaikh Isa Avenue to the Manama Municipal Council building. The project aims to bring the suq back to its prominence within the daily fabric of life in Bahrain.Three contractors had submitted bids, with value ranging from BD3 million to BD4 million, to the Tender Board. The other two were Almoayyed Contracting and Hafeera Construction. A permanent exhibition on the project would be opened at Bab Al Bahrain area to show the shopowners the progress of the work and give an idea to tourists how the suq is going to be renovated.Three contractors had submitted bids to the Tender Board. The other two were Almoayyed Contracting and Hafeera Construction.The ministry has come to an understanding with the shopowners who would be temporarily affected by the project.According to Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry sources, about 15 people would be affected in the first phase. Some are finding temporary places and others have branches in the country. Most of them will come back to the renovated place once the project is completed.The location of the proposed shopping complex between Al Mutanabi Road and Shaikh Abdulla Road, to be constructed in the second phase, is being shifted to ensure that less number of shops are affected. The traffic department has carried out a study to ensure that there will be minimal disruption to business during the construction phase. The prime goal of the project is to ‘re-brand’ the Manama suq into a significant and self-sufficient urban centre to play a role in the promotion of economic and social activities. Detailed designs have been prepared by Gulf House Engineering.

2006-09-28T19:26:00.000+03:00

Council rejects doctor's plea

By Mohammed Al A'ali
MANAMA Municipal Council yesterday threw out a doctor's appeal against an earlier decision to ban him from building an extra half-storey to his clinic. Councillors initially rejected his application at their general-secretariat meeting last week.
But it would not have been official unless presented to a full council meeting, which also rejected the request for a second time yesterday.
Dr Faisal Al Mahroos wanted to turn his four-and-a-half storey clinic into a five-storey clinic.
The council has already given him permission once before to increase the height to its existing four-and-a-half storeys, although zoning for the area limits buildings to three storeys.
Now councillors are also ordering the doctor to install opaque glass in his building after neighbours informed the council they were worried about strangers peering into their homes.
Council technical committee chairman Sadiq Rahma said there were complaints from nearby residents that the building, which is higher than others, was an invasion of their privacy.
"Before any expansion permission is given, the council needs to survey the area to ensure that neighbours are not being affected," he said.
He said that the Manama Municipality had been receiving complaints about the building, even before the doctor asked for an expansion.
"Anyway, we wouldn't have given the doctor permission, because his building is so high compared to others nearby and any increase would certainly be undesirable," said Mr Rahma.
He said that the committee had recommended that councillors order Dr Al Mahroos to out opaque glass in his building, so people could not look out over the neighbours' homes.
"We are the ones to blame in the first place, because we gave him an extra storey, after approving his request to add more rooms to his clinic," he said.
"We hope that he will respect the council's decision this time."
Dr Al Mahroos told the GDN last week that some of his neighbours approached him to complain about the building's height, but he told them to go the Manama Municipality.
He said that the municipality informed his neighbours that he had no problems and that his clinic was above any suspicion.
Dr Al Mahroos said he would take his fight to Municipalities and Agriculture Minister Ali Al Saleh.

2006-09-23T21:35:00.000+03:00

30 vice dens to be razed

By MOHAMMED AL A'ALI
THIRTY abandoned houses used as vice dens in the Capital Governorate will be knocked down soon, says Manama Municipal Council.
The council is planning to instruct the Manama Municipality to find out who owns the houses, before knocking them down.
If the owners are found to be needy, then the municipality will do the work for them.
But if they are not, then the municipality will send them the bill, said council financial, administrative and legislative committee chairman Majeed Millad Al Jazeeri.
"We have been receiving a lot of complaints about the activities in these houses," he said.
"There are sex practises being witnessed by people in the neighbourhoods on a regular basis, without anything being done to stop it.
"Those houses will be soon gone and the parasites, whether men or women, going there, will have no place to practise their immorality in.
Mr Al Jazeeri said that he had been warning about the dangers of those houses for a long time.
"I have been calling for the demolition of 14 houses in my constituency (old Manama and Ras Ruman), but it falls on deaf years," he said.
"Now everything will be changed and I am getting back-up from the municipality director-general Abdulkarim Hassan, who is keen on cleaning our neighbourhoods.
"When the issue was referred officially to my committee I was very happy and councillors have started pouring in requests to knock down similar houses in their constituencies.
"I received a request from technical affairs committee chairman Sadiq Rahma to knock down six houses, his vice-chairman Jaffar Al Qaidoom to knock down four houses and Sayed Jameel Khadim to knock down six houses.
"I hope that we get more, because ridding people from those sick places, means a better place to live in.
"We don't want our children to get affected by this going around them, because it is our responsibility to ensure that surroundings are safe for everyone."

2006-09-23T09:40:00.000+03:00

Revamp on way for Manama Cemetery

By MOHAMMED AL A'ALI
FACILITIES at Bahrain's biggest cemetery are to be developed, to make it better for people visiting relatives' graves.
Parking is to be expanded and walkways shaded at the Manama Cemetery, behind the American Mission Hospital.
The Manama Municipal Council has submitted a request to the Jaffari (Waqf) Endowment to allocate finances for the development.
"The place where tombstones used to be built will be removed, because tombstones are being bought ready from elsewhere," said area councillor Majeed Millad Al Jazeeri.
"Residents have suggested the building, near the southeastern gate, be removed, to create parking for 50 cars.
"A wall near the eastern gate will also be removed, which will provide an extra 10 parking lots."
Hundreds of people a day visit the cemetery, which has thousands of graves, said Mr Al Jazeeri.
"People are either being forced to park in the nearby American Mission Hospital, whose parks are full throughout the day, or elsewhere," he said. "Many are forced to park on the pavement or far away just to visit their relatives' graves, which bothers many of them, considering Bahrain is a humid country."
Mr Al Jazeeri, who is also the council's financial, administrative and legislative committee chairman, said the graveyard had four shades on its pathways. "The shades are small considering the graveyard's size," he said.
"We have proposed the three pathways be shaded to ensure that people are protected from the sun and rain.
"I have been receiving many complaints from people over the shades, who say these are useless.
"They say these have no use considering that they just cover a distance of four metres.
Mr Al Jazeeri said he didn't know how much the development would cost. "The directorate should calculate that and inform the council about the date they will have to begin work," he said.

2006-09-22T11:22:00.000+03:00

Green light for suq renovations

MANAMA
BUSINESSMEN in the Manama suq have finally agreed to make way so that renovations to the area can start, it was revealed yesterday.
Work on first phase of renovation, costing BD3.64 million, is now due to begin on November 1.
It has been delayed because traders refused to move out of their premises due to a dispute over terms.
However, an agreement was reached on Tuesday after they received guarantees that they will be allowed to return once work is finished.
Municipalities and Agriculture Affairs Minister Ali Al Saleh signed an agreement yesterday with Bokhowa Contracting chairman Hassan Abdulla Bokhowa at a ceremony in Bab Al Bahrain.
Mr Al Saleh said that developing the suq would also refurbish the economy and tourism of the country.
"Developing the suq is based on directives from Prime Minister Shaikh Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, after a visit a few years back, to have it standing on its feet again and encouraging locals and visitors to go there," he said.
"The suq will now have facilities that it has been missing, but without its old shape being affected.
"One of those problems is car parking, which will now be solved with the construction of multi-storey car parks ready to accommodate up to 580 cars."
He said that the ministry was studying proposals to set up a new authority to supervise the suq and come up with strategies to develop it further.
"We are also co-ordinating with the concerned government authorities to ensure that there are no traffic jams during work, especially with the suq's location at the heart of Manama," said Mr Al Saleh.
"I am very happy with the response from tenants who have pledged to give every support possible for the project to go ahead without any hurdles."
Ministry Under-Secretary for Municipal Affairs Dr Juma Al Ka'abi said the introduction of malls to the Bahraini community has reduced visitors the old suq, which is unable to match their facilities.
"This is why we have formed a higher committee to develop the suq, taking into consideration trader's and visitor's demands," he said.
"The suq will be developed in two phases. The first, which we have proudly signed, is expected to end in 18 months and the next will start shortly afterwards."
The Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) representative on the committee, Jawad Al Hawaj, hoped the suq's development would be up to expectations - both those of traders and customers.
Capital Governor Shaikh Humood bin Abdulla praised the project, saying it would ensure a Bahrain landmark gets the attention it deserves.

2006-09-15T07:32:00.000+03:00

New venue for circus granted

By MOHAMMED AL A'ALI
THE European Italian Circus will soon move from Zinj near Al Ahli Club to a temporary location at Al Fateh Corniche in Juffair.
Permission to move the circus was granted yesterday by the Manama Municipal Council at its first official meeting following its two-month summer break.
The land where the circus will be moved to is owned by the Manama Municipality and would be leased according to municipal rates in the area.
"We have no objection on the circus move, but it shouldn't obstruct development work nearby," said council financial, administrative and legislative committee chairman Majeed Al Jazeeri.
"The council doesn't know the reason behind the move, but it agreed to grant the owner permission to lease land for two months at Al Fateh Corniche."
He said the municipality would be responsible for allocating a land for the circus.
"The owner has asked for an area measuring 50 square metres and the lease rate would be decided accordingly," said Mr Al Jazeeri.
"The circus will be a new addition to the facilities and services offered at the corniche, which already attracts many visitors."
Circus owner Abdulhadi Mansour told the GDN last night said that he wanted to move the circus to attract more business.
"I have no problems with Al Ahli Club, which leased me their land, but business has gone down there and I wanted to move to a more active area," he said.
"The corniche area has more customers, particularly in the two months it will be there during Eid Al Fitr and Eid Al Adha.
"I will start to move in Ramadan, when the contract is signed, to open for customers by Eid Al Fitr.
"I have roughly calculated the move's costs and I believe it will be around BD5,000, but I still don't know whether I will move the current tent there or instal another one, since I may go back to Zinj again."

2006-09-07T00:22:00.000+03:00

Special zones for labour camps smack of segregation

BY LES HORTON
I can't get comfortable with the idea of special zones for labour camps, currently being considered by the Bahrain government.
It smacks somehow of a form of segregation, to house labourers in specific areas away from the rest of the community.
But if it means that camps are properly set up and maintained and the workers get cleaner, safer conditions to live in, then perhaps it is better than being forced into slum accommodation.
One reason being given for this plan is that families, Bahrainis in particular, have been complaining about the behaviour of large groups of Asian labourers housed in residential areas.
There are bound to be some cultural differences, but I am sure most of these problems would disappear if employers were not cramming so many workers together in often semi-derelict buildings not designed for the purpose.
The only reason that these camps exist in the first place is because it is cheaper to house large numbers of workers in dormitory-style accommodation, than to split them up into small groups in separate flats or villas.
These workers are paid a pittance that no Bahraini will work for and in many cases are even denied the most basic ammenities in their accommodation, while the owners of the construction companies that employ them live in luxury.
I can't help feel that Bahrain is being ungrateful to a workforce that has helped build the roads, houses, flats, schools, clinics and hospitals from which Bahrainis and others in the expatriate community benefit so greatly.
It seems we want their sweat and labour to create a modern, developed country, but we don't want them living amongst us.
Manama Municipal Council is even seeking a new law banning "bachelors" from living in certain areas, which is clearly aimed at poorer Asian workers, who are paid too little to bring their wives and families here.
I can't decide whether this is born of genuine community discomfort or concern, or out of arrogance on the part of those who think Asians are good enough to sweep their streets, but not to live in them.

2006-09-03T11:40:00.000+03:00

No rent until court verdict

Kuwaiti building tenants to seek compensation if forced outSandeep Singh GrewalContributorTenants of the Kuwaiti building have decided not to pay rent till court verdict in their case against the proposed demolition of the premises by the Manama Municipal Council.Paul Roy (name changed), one of the occupants, told the Tribune yesterday, “We are confused about the situation. My family arrived two days back from India and now we are searching for another flat. The building is 75 per cent occupied and there are shops as well. Where will all of them go?”A shopkeeper, who moved in the premises five months back, said, “I have invested money and am paying rent regularly. I learnt from newspapers that the council wants the building demolished. No one from the management has informed us or given notice to vacate. Most of the tenants have paid the rent for August and will not pay any rent till the issue is resolved. We plan to seek compensation of last-month rent if we are forced to move out.”A spokesperson from the management of the building, said, “We have filed a case and the court has given us 10 days. We have got all the documents and are waiting for the final verdict. There are some people who are spreading rumours to ruin our reputation.”

2006-09-03T11:24:00.000+03:00

No rent until court verdict

2006-09-02T09:15:00.000+03:00

Owners may face demolition bill

By MOHAMMED AL A'ALI

MANAMA

OWNERS of the condemned Kuwaiti Building will either have to demolish it themselves, or foot the bill - unless they win a court appeal against the order. An appeal has been lodged and a verdict is expected within a week, since the situation is so urgent, say sources.

If the order stands, then the court will tell the owners to demolish the 11-storey, twin tower complex in Manama.

But if the owners cannot or will not do it, then the government will and will then send them the bill, said sources.

The national disaster committee, comprising various ministries and government organisations, has already discussed how to go about evacuating and demolishing the 30-year-old building, which houses flats, shops and offices.

But it put off further discussion until the result of the owners' appeal against the demolition order, issued last Monday by the Urgent Matters Court.

It ruled in favour of the Manama Municipality, which sought the demolition order on the grounds that the complex is in a dangerous condition.

"It is expected that the owner of the building will not be able to tear down the building, so it would certainly be the government's duty to do so," said sources.

"The court will ask him to do so, but if he tells them he can't, then the government will come up with a strategy on how to evacuate people and knock down the building."

Area councillor Jaffar Al Qaidoom told the GDN that he had been bombarded with calls from tenants in the building, asking what the next step would be.

"I have promised to meet them during the week to look into their problems, considering many are expatriates with limited finances and finding suitable accommodation for them with the building's rates would be hard," he said.

"It is still early to know what will happen to these families, who will stay put until they are told to evacuate.

"Some are already looking for new apartments, but the poorer ones are still waiting for help from the government."

It is understood that flats in the complex are rented out for BD150 to BD270 a month.

The complex, officially known as Bahrain Centre, is owned by two Kuwaiti businessmen.

There are flats on eight floors of the complex and shops or offices on the first three levels.

The municipality filed the case in July and municipality director-general Abdulkarim Hassan told the GDN two weeks ago that engineers and the Civil Defence and Fire Service had declared the building unsafe.

He said the building was badly damaged by fire eight years ago and there were many cracks in the walls and pillars, with metal bars visible in some places.

Ceilings have fallen down in many places and the air-conditioning system was badly damaged, said Mr Hassan.

2006-08-29T10:57:00.000+03:00

TEAR IT DOWN!

By MOHAMMED AL A'ALI
MANAMA
MANAMA: A court ruled yesterday that a landmark Manama block of flats, shops and offices is so dangerous it must be immediately torn down. The demolition of the 11-storey twin-tower Kuwaiti Building was ordered by the Urgent Matters Court.
It ruled in favour of the Manama Municipality, which sought the demolition order on the 30-year-old complex.
It is owned by a Kuwaiti businessman, who has 10 days to appeal against the
verdict, said officials.
There are flats on eight floors and shops or offices on the first three levels.
The municipality filed the case a month ago and last Thursday, municipality director-general told the GDN that engineers and the Civil Defence and Fire Service had declared the building unsafe.
He said the building was badly damaged by fire eight years ago and there were many cracks in the walls and pillars, with metal bars visible in some places. Ceilings have fallen down in many places and the air-conditioning system was badly damaged, said Mr Hassan.
Area municipal councillor Jaffar Al Qaidoom welcomed the verdict yesterday, but said it would mean severe difficulty for tenants.
"The problem has just begun because moving businesses and families out of the building will be very difficult and I don't know how the authorities will deal with it," he said.
Building manager Ibrahim Ahmed said that the management would appeal the verdict.
"The owner of the building is coming from Kuwait to look into the issue, the only thing I know is that the municipality's claims are false.
He said the owner would be in Bahrain today.

2006-08-28T09:11:00.000+03:00

Old houses may be demolished

By MOHAMMED AL A'ALI
MANAMA
MANAMA: Dilapidated houses in Manama that have either been abandoned by their owners or turned into labour camps could soon be torn down. A budget of BD500,000 will be allocated every year for the scheme, it was agreed by the Manama Municipal Council yesterday at its general-secretariat meeting.
The aim is to avoid a repeat of the Gudaibiya labour camp fire, which killed 16 people last month.
"There are many houses owned by well-known dignitaries and businessmen who have left them a long time ago and are not being used by anyone, or in some cases are occupied by expatriate workers," said council public relations and information committee vice-chairman Mohammed Mansoor.
"The council doesn't want to see another tragedy in Manama after the labour camp burned down last month in Gudaibiya."
Mr Mansoor said councillors would come up with lists of houses to be included in the scheme as soon as possible.
"Final approval of the scheme is expected soon, but the lists are required so an initial budget can be decided for it to begin," he said.
A final vote on the issue is expected to take place on September 12, when the council will hold a full meeting.
The scheme is expected to be funded by the Manama Municipality and will not come under the His Majesty King Hamad Scheme for Dilapidated Houses, which only applies to homes occupied by people who need financial aid to renovate them.

2006-08-28T08:10:00.000+03:00

Municipal fees rises on way

By MOHAMMED AL A'ALI
THOUSANDS of businesses and expatriate tenants in Manama face increased municipal fees, as officials try to stamp out cheating. Municipal fees for leased business premises and expatriates' homes or flats at currently calculated at 10 per cent of the monthly rent.
But the Manama Municipal Council is planning to change this and base fees on 10pc of the going rent for the area.
The aim is to stop private deals between landlords and tenants, under which leases state outdated rents, to keep down the municipal fees.
Under the new proposal, the Manama Municipality will stop looking at leases and instead will calculate fees based on the rent in the area.
The council's general-secretariat met yesterday and asked the municipality to prepare a study on the proposal.
"Rent has dramatically increased over the past years, but many municipal fees are still being calculated according to old contracts," said council public relations and information committee vice-chairman Mohammed Mansoor.
"For example, a shop that used to pay rent of BD100 in 1996 now pays BD300, but the municipality only takes BD10.
"New shops in the same area are paying BD30, which shows that there is cheating somehow in paying municipal fees.
"On the other hand, expatriates who have rented flats in 1996 are just paying BD15 considering that their flats' rent is officially stated in the contract as BD150.
"Their new neighbour pays BD25, because the contract states the monthly rent is BD250."
Bahrainis living in flats only pay fees of BD2 every month.
Mr Mansoor said fees for businesses and expatriate tenants would soon be calculated according to the going rate for rent in the area.
"If the rent for 50 per cent or more shops or flats in the area is BD300, then fees will be BD30 for all," he said.
Mr Mansoor said that this would also help increase the municipality's revenue, which in the end is spent on the community. "Whether it is spent on cleaning or development projects, this money is being used wisely for the people," he said.

2006-08-26T09:42:00.000+03:00

Trade is flourishing in Adliya

PROSTITUTES aged anywhere between 17 and 50 can be found operating in Adliya, according to a Thai florist who works in the area.
He estimated there could be 10 to 20 prostitutes working in the area, which also houses the main headquarters of the Criminal Investigation Directorate (CID).
The man, who asked to remain anonymous, added that they come straight from Thailand to work in the sex trade - attracting business "anywhere crowded", from discos to coffee shops.
"Some say they have sponsors and others don't," he said.
"Many of them don't speak English.
"The Saudi men just drive by, open their doors and say 'hi' and 'how much?' It's very open.
"I have spoken to some of them and know lot of them are very poor and are forced into this by circumstances.
"But I'm ashamed because they are from my country.
"Many of my Thai female friends who work for restaurants or hair salons complain to me that they are often mistaken for and treated like prostitutes.
"They tell me no one respects them anymore."
However, he did say that the number of Thai prostitutes had decreased recently - blaming competition from Chinese prostitutes who were challenging them for their turf and forcing them to look elsewhere for business.
"The women are getting fed up - it's hot, the customers are less and Ramadan is approaching," he said.
"They are looking to other places besides Bahrain now."
He even claims some women tell him they are hired on a monthly basis and a customer rents an apartment for them, which they maintain to keep off the streets.
"When they get 'boyfriends' they cannot go out anymore and have to stay inside all day," he said.
"Most of the men who do that are American or British because they have the means to do it.
"The Saudi men just drive over for a night. They don't bother to keep the women."
Asked whether the police ever did anything about it, the man said arrests had in fact been made and he thought many women were detained at the Isa Town detention facility.
One Indian shopkeeper interviewed in the area, which is host to a number of Thai restaurants and grocery stores, said he was aware of the stories but never witnessed anything himself.
"I have read all the letters in the paper, but I have never seen anything," he said.
"My shop is only open until 9pm and I leave at 7pm, so maybe I just miss everything."
A Bahraini cashier working at a Thai supermarket also said she got off work at 5pm and never noticed anything.
"This is a Thai store and Thai people come in here all the time to buy food," she said.
"That is all I see and there is nothing strange about that."
Another Thai shopkeeper said he witnessed the women early in the evening when they came out in their abayas to shop.
"They come out between 5pm and 7pm to do their shopping, but they never pick up customers here," he said. "They work at the hotels."
Another Thai hairdresser agreed, saying the women only came out to shop in the evening and that police patrolled the area around two or three times a week.
All shopkeepers admitted that the increased traffic was good for business, if bad for their reputations as Asians.
However, elected officials representing areas reportedly frequented by prostitutes said they were unaware of claims that the neighbourhood was deteriorating.
Manama Municipal Councillor Jaffer Al Qaidoom urged residents to report any complaints to him.
"I am not aware of this situation. I know there are a few hotels in the area, but I have never received any complaints from residents," said Mr Al Qaidoom, who is the council's technical committee vice-chairman.
"If the residents have a problem they must come forward and inform the councillors."
Meanwhile, MP Yousif Al Hermi advised people to also contact the police.
"I have personally never heard of this," he said. "This does not please me at all and firm measures need to be taken in response to this apparent problem. "Residents should inform the police about these prostitutes."

2006-08-06T00:08:00.000+03:00

Council staff seek bonus

By MAY ASHOUR
ADMINISTRATION employees at the country's five municipal councils are requesting a bonus in appreciation of their dedicated work over the past four years.
The general secretaries of the five councils are presenting their request to Municipalities and Agriculture Minister Ali Saleh Al Saleh on behalf of all 56 employees today.
It is hoped that the minister will oblige, seeing that both Shura Council and parliamentary administrative employees were awarded bonuses this year of BD350 and BD500 respectively.
"We are a small cadre and we have worked very hard over the last four years to serve these elected bodies," said Manama municipal council general secretary Jassim Redha Hussain.
The employees' main role is to organise and document meetings as well as act in liaisons with the various ministries.
Their duties also include the maintenance of six websites for the councils, the publication of five magazines and ten leaflets and brochures aimed at public awareness of social, health, and environmental issues as well as helping with local community projects and activities.
"We work non-stop all year, we don't get overtime, and we cannot afford to go on vacation because we are understaffed," said Mr Hussain.
"The councillors are all on holiday right now, but we are all still working, preparing for the next session.
"We can only afford to let one or two employees take off every year.
"We work hard because we believe in our cause and the reform process.
"This is service work that is very important to our nation, and we are only asking for a small reward."

2006-08-05T11:28:00.000+03:00

BD250,000 park to open soon

By RASHA AL QAHTANI
WORK on a new BD250,000 public park in Karbabad is expected to be completed by September.
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 work now is basically to remove the stones and level the ground for the project," he said.
The park, which will be built o an area of 5,762 square metres will have rides for the children, a walkway and an artificial waterfall.
Trees will be planted, shades will be set up and floodlights will be installed around the park to make the place brighter and more appealing and presentable to visitors.
"Plans for a small zoo was to be included in the park on the request of Karbabad residents, but it was scrapped by the council."
"The decision was made in view of the many diseases that may be caused by animals," he said.
Mr Abdulla the council did not want to endanger the health of residents by taking a chance and setting up a zoo near residential areas.
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.
"Residents will no longer have to travel elsewhere to enjoy park surroundings or for their children to play in a safe environment," he said.
"They will now be able to walk or jog in a place nearer to their homes."

2006-08-01T10:02:00.000+03:00

Eviction delay that killed 16

By SOMAN BABY and SARA SAMI
THE COMPANY whose workers were living in the Gudaibiya labour camp where 16 were killed in a fire on Sunday was ordered six months ago to evacuate them, it was revealed yesterday.
The fire broke out three days after the end of a grace period granted to Royal Tower Construction to find them alternative accommodation, Manama Municipal Council chairman Murtadha Bader told the GDN.
He said the notice was issued in January and gave the company until July 27 to move the workers for safety reasons.
However, they were still living there on Sunday, when the fire broke out.
"I wrote a letter to the Manama Municipality in January to evacuate
this building in Gudaibiya because it did not comply with international safe
ty laws and regulations," Mr Bader told
the GDN. He described the accommodation, which housed more than 200 workers, as decrepit.
Mr Bader added that plans to relocate all labour camps from Manama for the safety of workers and their neighbours were already being discussed by the council.
Meanwhile, a spokesman for Royal Tower Construction claimed arrangements were made last month to move the workers to a new camp in Sitra.
He added that they were due to be in their new accommodation by August 20. "We have been searching for an alternate accommodation for several months," said the spokesman.
"All the workers, who come from Tamil Nadu, wanted to stay together in the same place. "Finally, we found a convenient place with all the facilities in Sitra, for which we had paid an advance of BD9,000 after signing the agreement.
"We were making all arrangements there to move the workers on August 20." He said the building gutted by fire was supposed to house 160 people.
"However, some workers who live in one of our other labour camps in Manama used to come to the Gudaibiya building to spend time with their friends," said the spokesman.
"The number of more than 200 released by the police includes workers who came from the other accommodation the previous night.
"The building had 24 rooms, which could comfortably accommodate 160 workers." He said the Labour Ministry had not objected to wooden partitions being put up in the building, so that it could house more workers and claimed it was not a safety hazard.
He also denied allegations that the company used to take BD450 from workers to renew their contracts every two years. "It had been brought to our notice that a company foreman used to take money from the workers," said the spokesman.
"When he was caught, his contract was terminated and he was sent back to India. "The company never used to take any money from the workers."
Explaining why workers held CPR cards carrying the names of different companies as sponsors, the spokesman claimed all the workers were employed under the umbrella of two major companies - Royal Tower Construction and Connection Contracting. "We had made arrangements with some other small companies to work together," he added.

2006-07-31T11:22:00.000+03:00

Locking the stable door

A complete revamp is mandated: Councillor
Suad Hamada
Staff Reporter

Perhaps the deaths of 16 workers and the Prime Minister’s immediate outrage over the existence of these conditions will do for labour what the Al Dana tragedy did for improving safety standards on water. As it is said with cold comfort, maybe their deaths will not be in vain. Bahrain has always been open and outspoken about Labour living conditions.It did not deserve this but now the system must face the fact that things have to be rectified across the board.
The action has been encouragingly swift. Cabinet’s Legal Affairs Directorate is reviewing the possibilities of introducing a bill banning sponsors from allocating accommodation for labourers in residential areas, Manama Municipal councillor Tariq Al Shaikh said yesterday. He said the bill would also deal with safety measures and mechanisms to ensure sponsors comply with safety rules.
The bill would regulate and control the number of bachelors living in each flat or house since under the law, the minimum requirement per person is 12 metres square, and there should be a bathroom and toilet for every five inmates occupying a room. “The accident could be attributed to a lack of certain laws regulating rent conditions,” he said. The draft bill bans non-Bahraini bachelors, including GCC citizens, from renting flats in buildings with families or living in residential areas.
When the Directorate drafts the bill, it should be first approved by the Cabinet, then sent to the legislative authority, and, when passed by Parliament, the bill would be in force.
He said the Directorate would study the proposal in order to standardise the decision among the five governorates.
Al Shaikh praised the government’s positive response to the draft bill proposed by Manama Municipal Council as he feels it would protect families from disturbances posed by bachelors living in the vicinity. “I think after the accident, the revision of the bill would be expedited.” The Ministry of Municipalities Affairs and Agriculture has not been supportive of the draft law as, according to its officials, it could control the freedom of landowners to rent their property to whomsoever they wish. He said before tabling the proposal, the council conducted a three-year study on the negative effects of having bachelors as neighbours.
According to the bill, there would be buildings for families and others for bachelors, and that would be monitored through electricity bills as those violating the rules would not get power supply. Municipal Affairs has the right to evacuate flats or houses if there are violations of the bill’s terms.

2006-07-29T10:38:00.000+03:00

No room for bachelors

They might be banned from renting buildings occupied by families
Suad Hamada
Staff Reporter

Non-Bahraini bachelors, including GCC citizens, might be banned from renting flats in buildings occupied by families.
The Minister of Municipalities Affairs and Agriculture, Ali Saleh Al Saleh, has referred a municipal proposal on the matter to the legal directorate at the Cabinet.
The Manama Municipal Council chairman, Murtadha Bader, told the Tribune yesterday that the directorate would study the proposal and might give a go-ahead to enforce the decision in all the five governorates.
Bader said the proposal aimed to ensure that families are not disturbed by bachelors living near them. “The minister had felt that the could control the freedom of landowners to rent out their properties to whosoever they wish. But he respected the council’s decision and referred the proposal to the Cabinet.”
Bader said if the proposal is drafted as a law by the directorate and the Cabinet reviews it, then it would be referred to the parliament for approval.
He said that before tabling the proposal, the council had conducted a three-year study on the negative affects of having bachelors as neighbours.
According to the proposal, separate buildings or areas will be allocated for bachelors. Municipal Affairs will have the right to evacuate flats or houses which violate rules.
The proposal will also help control the number of bachelors in each flat or house as there should be 12 square metre of space for each resident.
There will be at least one bathroom and toilet for every five bachelors.

2006-07-27T10:43:00.000+03:00

No room for bachelors

They might be banned from renting buildings occupied by familiesSuad HamadaStaff ReporterNon-Bahraini bachelors, including GCC citizens, might be banned from renting flats in buildings occupied by families.The Minister of Municipalities Affairs and Agriculture, Ali Saleh Al Saleh, has referred a municipal proposal on the matter to the legal directorate at the Cabinet.The Manama Municipal Council chairman, Murtadha Bader, told the Tribune yesterday that the directorate would study the proposal and might give a go-ahead to enforce the decision in all the five governorates.Bader said the proposal aimed to ensure that families are not disturbed by bachelors living near them. “The minister had felt that the could control the freedom of landowners to rent out their properties to whosoever they wish. But he respected the council’s decision and referred the proposal to the Cabinet.”Bader said if the proposal is drafted as a law by the directorate and the Cabinet reviews it, then it would be referred to the parliament for approval. He said that before tabling the proposal, the council had conducted a three-year study on the negative affects of having bachelors as neighbours. According to the proposal, separate buildings or areas will be allocated for bachelors. Municipal Affairs will have the right to evacuate flats or houses which violate rules. The proposal will also help control the number of bachelors in each flat or house as there should be 12 square metre of space for each resident. There will be at least one bathroom and toilet for every five bachelors.

2006-07-19T09:38:00.000+03:00

BD65,000 park opens

A BD65,000 park was opened to the public at Ras Ruman, where residents are said to have been waiting for it for over two years.
The park, which has a total area of 1,800sqm and a green landscape of 70sqm, was approved by the Capital Municipal Council in 2003.
"Unfortunately due to some set backs in the electricity cables, the project was delayed until this summer," said council member Majeed Milad.
He said there was a lack of financing to cover the expenses on the transport and installation of the cables.
"Currently the park is running on generators until the electric current surrounding the park is fixed," he said.
The park features playground equipment, small football pitch, umbrella-covered tables and a walkway.
A festival marking the opening of the park was held by the Manama Municipality in co-operation with the Ras Ruman Charity Fund.
The event, which featured recreational games for children and adults, was attended council chairman Murtadha Bader, municipality director general Abdulkareem Hassan and about 700 families and residents in the area.
"We were all very surprised by the number of people who attended the festival," said Mr Milad. "Everybody in that area was waiting for the opening of this park for a long time."

2006-07-18T09:26:00.000+03:00

There goes the sidewalk

Much like the neighbourhood, the encroachment is becoming a menace By Titus FilioStaff ReporterThe public market is bursting with vendors taking over pavements and parking spaces as a Manama Municipal Council proposal to redevelop the market remains on the drawing boards. The lack of space for both sellers and buyers can be seen with traders encroaching even on what should have been open public spaces.Many operators have also begun the daily loading and unloading of merchandise at the open spaces and not at designated loading areas which have been largely unused over the past years. In the meantime, stall operators in the main sales area of Central Market were crying foul against the “outsiders” whom they say were stealing business from them. Order, they say, must be brought to the market.“The rule on where to sell must be observed by all,” said a vendor at the stall. “It is unfair because some sellers, like fruit vendors, are openly selling right outside and in parking lots. People no longer come in the market house.”The battle for space among vendors ends up as a difficulty for most buyers at the market. Sellers called on commerce authorities to check the licences of outdoor vendors. A quick check by the Tribune, however, revealed that most of those selling outside had licences and have stalls indoors.“It is easier to sell here because some people do not go inside,” said one of the outdoor vendors. Buyers hardly find a place to park their cars or have to squeeze their way through open stalls.”Developments in Manama Central Market remain frozen but officials believe it is time to redevelop the entire central trading area. The market has been the prime marketplace in the capital for the last three decades. Last week Manama Municipality Council announced that Central Market will undergo a “facelift” with a massive renovation project to develop the indoor public market area.“We had already laid out proposals for the entire market area,” said MMC chairman Muqtada Bader. “The proposal was given to the Ministry of Municipalities six months ago. But we have not really seen or received any go signal from them.”The proposal would cost some BD 100 million. “The problem is space for both sellers and buyers. Parking is a real problem but under the proposal these issues have been well addressed.“It even includes a multi-storey parking edifice because we believe it is time to modernise our central market,” Bader said. Municipal officials estimate that there should be a ready parking space for 3,000-4,000 cars at the Central Market area. The market area is busiest during the morning at weekends.

2006-07-12T22:36:00.000+03:00

Councillors visit Alba smelter

MANAMA: A tour of the Alba smelter was conducted for members of the Manama Municipal Council.
Council chairman Murtadha Bader, director-general Abdul Karim Hassan, members and administrators were briefed about its projects and activities.
"This visit by the council is very much appreciated by Alba and is beneficial to both parties. Many important issues were discussed, which will help to improve co-operation even further in the future," said Alba public relations manager Dr Khalid Bomtaia.

2006-07-10T23:04:00.000+03:00

Beauty treatment for Manama markets

Face-lift for shopping centresSandeep Singh GrewalContributorMarkets and houses in the Kingdom are being given a face-lift in cooperation with the Ministry of Municipalities Affairs and Agriculture and the Manama Municipal Council.The secretary of the council, Jassim Redha Hussain, told the Tribune yesterday that the ministry was in the process of renovating the existing buildings and markets. “We plan to convert the Central Market into an indoor shopping market. This BD60 million project in the pipeline aims to develop separate wholesale shopping areas, and separate loading and unloading venues for fish and meat. “There will also be a provision for parking spaces for about 3,000 cars and this will mean easy access for traders.”He said the parking situation in the Capital was getting worse and the council planned to acquire more plots of land, but the land price was a big hurdle.Providing an update on the renovation and reconstruction of old houses under a national project initiated by His Majesty the King, Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the secretary said 6,000 old houses would be demolished and replaced with the new ones. “We have received 228 applications. Of these houses, 20 have been completed and 10 are under construction.”He said: “A social services project has been launched to help renovate or expand old houses by adding an additional room in each flat. In this regard, we have received 139 applications and 10 houses are being renovated. The project aims to raise citizens’ living standards.”Each house under the rehabilitation project costs about BD20,000, while the services under the social services project cost about BD3,000.There is also a project for 16 parks in the Capital Governorate. Of these, 10 have been built. The 16-park project is the largest that has been approved for a governorate. This has been done in cooperation with the Ministry of Housing and Works, the General Directorate of Traffic and the Roads Department.

2006-07-10T10:15:00.000+03:00

Beauty treatment for Manama markets

2006-07-10T09:03:00.000+03:00

Beauty treatment for Manama markets

2006-07-06T10:44:00.000+03:00

Midnight vice clamp curfew in Manama

By MOHAMMED AL A'ALI
MANAMA: A midnight curfew has been slapped on coffee shops, restaurants and other outlets on the Al Fateh Corniche, as part of a crackdown on vice.
Prostitutes and illicit lovers have been using the late opening hours as a cover for immoral activities, say authorities.
Now all outlets on the corniche must close by midnight during the week and by 1am on Wednesday and Thursday nights.
The curfew has been imposed with immediate effect by Manama Municipal Council and municipal officials, at the request of the Interior Ministry.
Prostitutes ply their trade under the cover of the crowds there into the early hours, says council technical affairs committee chairman Sadiq Rahma.
"The shops and outlets are not the problem, but those who go there for immoral and indecent acts, who take the late opening time as an excuse," he said.
"Now those committing these acts have no excuse to be there and if found will be dealt with seriously by the police.
"This decision has been taken after things went out of hand, with young men and women seen in the middle of the corniche walkway hugging and kissing each other.
"The place has also become a hub for prostitutes, who prey on young men who spend their nights there. "Police are finding it difficult to combat prostitution in nearby Juffair and Exhibition Avenue and they have asked we set the timings on the corniche."

2006-07-06T09:56:00.000+03:00

Councils row is put on hold

By MOHAMMED AL A'ALI
BAHRAIN'S five municipal councils will continue operating until August 31, following talks with the government yesterday.
Councillors throughout the country were angered by a Cabinet decision to suspend the councils, since their four-year term is officially over.
They argued that they should not be suspended, since elections for new councils had not yet taken place.
Muncipalities and Agriculture Minister Ali Saleh Al Saleh and other officials met with council chairmen yesterday, to sort out the wrangle.
The meeting was ordered by Prime Minister Shaikh Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, to end the confusion.
Now it has been agreed that while the 10-member councils will not meet hold full meetings, their general secretariats will continue to handle urgent issues.
The general secretariat on each council consists of the chairman, vice-chairman and the four committee chairman, in other words, six out of the 10 elected members. It was also agreed yesterday to respect any decision by the Ministry of State for Cabinet Affairs legal affairs directorate on how municipal affairs will be handled between August 31 and the election date, which has yet to be set.
Councils will either continue to operate, or responsibility will be passed temporarily to the ministry.
Mr Al Saleh promised yesterday to instruct all municipal officials to deal with councillors as usual.
He stressed that the councils still have their decision-making powers, which ministry and municipal officials must respect.
Mr Al Saleh praised the councils' efforts in developing gardens and the succesful classification of areas in conjunction with the Land Surbey Directorate. This regulated business hours for scrap dealers and shop owners.
Manama Municipal Council chairman Murtada Bader reassured people after the meeting that the councils were still operating.
"The Cabinet's decision created confusion amongst the people, but councillors are still here and willing to listen to the people," he said.
"Based on the agreement, the councils are on holiday for those two months, but that doesn't mean they are suspended.
"Committee and full meetings are over, but the councils' general-secretariat offices will continue, which mean urgent issues will be dealt with.
Muharraq Municipal Council chairman Mohammed Al Wazzan said the suspension was unfair, since the councils were independent financially and administratively.
"The councils' employees are under the chairmen's authority and not the ministry," he said.
"The councils' budget can't be transferred to the ministry, because the ministry has no right to use that money". Mr Al Wazzan said that the councils were legislative bodies, while the municipalities were executive bodies.
"How could an executive body monitor itself, considering that the councils monitor all municipality workers' performance and input?" he said.
Northern Municipal Council chairman Sayed Majeed Al Sayed said that by law the councils' authority could not go to the executive body.
"The flow of authority goes from one council to another and unless a new council is elected, then we should be continuing, rather than the ministry taking our power," he said.

2006-07-01T10:02:00.000+03:00

Police 'soft on parking ban'

By rasha AL qahtani
TRAFFIC police are failing to enforce a ban on buses and trucks being parked in a residential area, says Manama Municipal Council.
Residents in Hoora are still complaining that there is nowhere to park because of the many trucks and buses parked in the area, despite a ban imposed by the council.
The council has put up signs warning that trucks and buses are banned from parking in the area, in co-operation with the General Directorate of Traffic.
But traffic police are not enforcing the ban, says council member Abdulaziz Ahmed Mohammed Al Khaja.
"When the directorate was asked why it was not co-operating, it did not give a clear reason," he said.
"The problem has been going on for four years and residents are continuously complaining about the parking problem."
It is being caused by drivers who take their company lorries and buses home and park them in the street overnight, said Mr Al Khaja.
They take up several parking spaces each, leaving no room for other residents' vehicles.
The trucks and buses involved range from four to 16 wheelers, said Mr Al Khaja.
"Trucks and buses take up spaces provided for three cars and in some cases for four," he said.
"There are many complaints from residents about these vehicles, which cause a big problem between them and the vehicle owners."
"The directorate is supposed to deal with violators in the area and charge them, but it is not.
"Sixty per cent of vehicles parked in that area are trucks and buses, which take up a lot of space and leave residents to suffer."
"These vehicles cause a lot of traffic congestion and complaints arise from families in the area."
Mr Al Khaja said the council would write to Interior Minister Shaikh Rashid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa this week, explaining the problem to him and seeking an answer. General Directorate of Traffic officials were not available for comment.

2006-06-29T10:51:00.000+03:00

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.

2006-06-29T09:38:00.000+03:00

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?

2006-06-26T10:43:00.000+03:00

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."

2006-06-24T09:48:00.000+03:00

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.

2006-06-23T10:19:00.000+03:00

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."

2006-06-22T10:11:00.000+03:00

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.

2006-06-11T10:50:00.000+03:00

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."

2006-06-11T00:24:00.000+03:00

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."

2006-06-03T21:30:00.000+03:00

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."

2006-06-02T23:29:00.000+03:00

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."

2006-06-01T10:07:00.000+03:00

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.

2006-05-27T12:23:00.000+03:00

Plan to ease bottlenecks

By MOHAMMED AL A'ALI
SEVEN heavily congested roundabouts in Manama will be razed before the end of the year and replaced with traffic lights.New designs for routes currently connected by the roundabouts have been completed, but work will not start without approval from the Manama Municipal Council.
The Works and Housing Ministry has asked the council to prepare a report on the seven roundabouts to compare with its study before approving the project.
The roundabouts are in Salmaniya, near the Hilton Hotel, next to the Sheraton Hotel, on Government Avenue, in Ras Ruman, at The Palace hotel and Al Andalus Hotel.
"Once we approve the designs for the new routes, the ministry is expected to begin work on the project," said council technical committee vice-chairman Jaffar Al Qaidoom.
"Everyone knows that these roundabouts are irritating, because they take a lot of space and are unorganised, leading to traffic jams.
"This project will hopefully end the congestion since the ministry is carrying out this project based on an extensive study, which took into consideration everything from tardiness to accidents.
"The ministry is keen on ensuring that we are happy with their plans, which we are content with in fact, but that doesn't mean this is the end of the road, as councillors will continue supervising and monitoring work and inspecting sites.
"It is very difficult to satisfy everyone, we will look at the designs, suggest modifications to them when necessary, but the council will not take a decision without residents' feedback and recommendations on the issue."
Mr Al Qaidoom, who is also the council's public utilities and services committee vice-chairman, said residents were excited when he informed them about the plan.
"Whether it is my majlis or in other majlises, people have been complaining about these roundabouts, where they say they constantly get stuck in traffic," he said.
"The problem is that even the ambulance faces trouble getting patients into the Salmaniya Medical Complex because of traffic jams on the roundabouts in the governorate."

2006-05-25T22:18:00.000+03:00

Home repairs plan 'flawed'

By MOHAMMED AL A'ALI
A SCHEME to renovate the houses of needy families could actually force the people it is supposed to help onto the street, according to municipal councillors.That is because they may have to move out while the renovations are underway, but will not be provided with temporary accommodation or a housing allowance.
Manama Municipal Councillor Sadiq Rahma said the people most in need of help could be made homeless while the BD500,000 scheme proceeds.
"The problem is that when they 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 the work," said Mr Rahma, who is also the council's technical affairs committee chairman.
"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 Dilapid-ated Homes, which aims to renovate 6,000 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.
However, Mr Rahma said the issue of housing allowances is not the only thing slowing down the project, which will be carried out by the Municipalities and Agriculture Ministry.
He said it had now been delayed for two years because of problems in carrying it out.
"The scheme was brought to us two years ago for revision, but we have not yet approved it," he said.
"There are numerous flaws in the scheme that we are trying to overcome.
"Whenever we think we are over, we are surprised that there are more flaws that require us to stop and look into."
None of the five municipal councils have yet approved the project in their area.

2006-05-24T23:41:00.000+03:00

400 labourers face eviction

By RASHA AL QAHTANI
MORE than 400 Asian labourers living crammed into four villas in Adliya could soon be evicted by the Manama Municipal Council.About 60 residents signed a petition saying they could no longer tolerate so many labourers living amongst them.
Residents said the labourers were rowdy and families were nervous for their children.
Councillor Jaffar Ahmed Hassan Al Kaidoom said that he had inspected the area and seen the conditions the labourers were living in.
"There are about four to five villas, each occupied by over 100 expatriate workers," he said.
"The owners of these villas do not only illegally reside labourers in the area, but also have construction fines."
Mr Al Kaidoom said the owners had added extra rooms and floors to their villas to accommodate the labourers.
"The legislative committee of the council is currently working on special rules for Asian labourers living in the governorate," he said.
"After the conditions are set, they will be presented to the council to be approved."
Once the new terms are in place, the Asians living in the villas concerned will be evicted, he said.
Residents sent the petition to the municipal council along with a letter in April complaining that the workers were making too much noise, hanging their clothes outside in the open and causing traffic problems by parking company trucks or buses in the area.
Families said they could no longer put up with the noise and inconvenience and demanded that the council take immediate action.
"After I received the petition I went down to the area and inspected the houses myself and I agree that the living conditions are bad," said Mr Al Kaidoom,
He said that the problem was becoming more severe with the rising population of Asian labourers in the area.
Landlords probably want to make money out of the rented villas by allowing a large number of low paid labourers to live in them, said Mr Al Kaidoom.
"This however is not going to go on for much longer and we will call the landlords and tell them about the problem and tell them to evict the labourers as soon as the conditions are approved.
"We are now also sending out letters to the people who signed the petition telling them that the municipal council is working on the case."

2006-05-22T22:16:00.000+03:00

Council row over 'special' lands...

By MOHAMMED AL A'ALI
COUNCILLORS are demanding to know why no construction is being allowed on three plots of land in the Seef District.
They say the plots have not been earmarked as residential or commercial, which means they cannot be developed.
The lands have instead been designated as "special", but the Manama Municipal Council does not know why.
One councillor claimed that areas designated as "special" in the past had later been used to build privately owned properties on without permission from the council.
However, he declined to give examples.
Manama Municipality director-general Abdulkarim Hassan told councillors during a meeting that they had been set aside because they were located near Bahrain Fort, which is classified as a World Heritage Site by the United Nations.
"We haven't decided on any classification for these lands since the Information Ministry responsible for the site has told us they will be used as a part of the fort's village," he said.
"Whenever we plan to use them the council will be informed about it since they are classified as special and requires the council's consent on any plan."
However, councillors could not understand why all three plots had been classified as "special".
The council's technical committee chairman, Jaffar Al Qaidoom, said one piece of land was located near the fort, but the others were located close to residential areas.
"From what I see these two lands are surrounded by buildings, which means that they could be used for future developmental projects - or even leased out to private investors," he said.
"The land near the fort could be also used by the Information Ministry or any other organisation, with the stipulation that the buildings they construct doesn't exceed three storeys.
"Under UN rules, the fort should be visible within a specified area and I don't believe that three storeys would block people's view."
Councillor for the area, Mohammed Mansoor, said he had visited the three lands previously and found them to be away from the fort.
"It is true that one is close to the fort, but it is not that close and I am still unsure about the reason it has been classified as special," he said.
"Even if we leave this one out of our calculations, what about the two others?
"The problem is that many places are classified as special and any request to acquire them is brought to the council.
"Sometimes we refuse permission for their acquirement, but then suddenly we see them turned into a multi-storey commercial building.

2006-05-13T21:28:00.000+03:00

Municipality losing out...

By MOHAMMED AL A'ALI
RESIDENTS in Manama are losing out because thousands of dinars in taxes that should go back into improving the capital are being wrongly distributed around the country, according to municipal councillors.
They claim that municipal fees collected by the government are being pooled with those from the Central, Southern, Muharraq and Northern Governorates and used to fund projects in all five areas.
However, councillors say this violates the Municipal Law because fees collected from Manama should only be used by the Manama Municipality.
They now want to ensure that municipal fees collected from Manama are not used to finance projects elsewhere.
A report has been prepared on the issue by the council's financial, administrative and legislative affairs committee, which concluded that the Manama Municipality's revenue was being affected as a result.
The council will sit on Tuesday to vote on whether or not to retain municipal fees for Manama alone.
The council's financial, administrative and legislative affairs committee chairman, Majeed Millad Al Jazeeri, said the money could be used for projects that benefit people in the capital.
"We are speaking about thousands of dinars that are being entered into the joint municipal coffers, which also includes other municipalities besides ours," he told the GDN.
"The revenue in the joint coffers helps fund development and urbanisation projects in the country, but it comes from other fees - this is not one of them.
"We have our own projects that need financing and this money should be used for them, rather than in other areas in the Kingdom whose municipalities already have their own revenue."
Mr Al Jazeeri said he had studied the law carefully to ensure that the council's claims were genuine.
He added that councillors had already backed the demand to withhold the fees in principle, but would take the final vote on Tuesday.
"Things should be set right before the end of our term next month because new councillors will have projects in their minds and we don't want them to be stunned when they see the municipality's coffers not being up to their expectations," he said.
"This money is useful for our municipality and we hope to have it back in our coffers because other municipalities have no right to use it.
"They are not entitled to it as we are not entitled to theirs.
"They are just taking ours because our municipality has a high revenue, but if they continue to do so it will not be."
If councillors vote to retain municipal fees for use in Manama alone a letter will be sent to Municipalities and Agriculture Minister Ali Saleh Al Saleh informing him of the decision.

2006-05-13T13:10:00.000+03:00

Garage complex plan for Juffair

By mohammed al a'ali
A NEW petrol station could be opened soon in Juffair, Manama Municipal Council members agreed yesterday.
Councillors have backed the project in principle and will take a final vote on Tuesday.
They urged the investor to allot spaces for a car services centre and a groceries store in the petrol station, for them to give it final approval.
The project has been studied by the council's technical affairs committee, which found the station to be necessary.
Committee chairman Sadiq Rahma said that Juffair was one of the fastest developing areas in the Capital Governorate, but it was missing a petrol station.
"To fuel up, people either go to Gudaibiya or Adliya, which are far from their residential area," he said.
"This is a good project since the area lacks a petrol station and from what I see I believe it would be an instant profit for the investor.
"We thought that a lone petrol station would be old fashioned and this why we have added the stipulation for the car services centre and the groceries store.
"The investor won't lose anything because those who will offer these services will be paying rent and will ensure more customers came into the station."
Mr Rahma said that the council had nothing against the project, with members offering to back it the instant the application came into their hands.
"This businessman is smart because he knew what to choose and I believe that from the first moment he stepped into the Manama Municipality for the licence, he knew he would be getting it," he said.
"Juffair is developing and this station will be an addition to the already existing services, which range from top class restaurants, hotels and coffee shops in the area.
Mr Rahma hoped that other investors would come up with innovative ideas for the area, which is now one of the crowded places in the country.
"Whether it is day or not, the place does not standstill."

2006-05-08T11:42:00.000+03:00

Ministry rejects appeal to close busy Adliya streets

By MOHAMMED AL A'ALI
A REQUEST to close off two roads connected to a busy Adliya high street has been rejected by the government.
Residents submitted petitions to the Manama Municipal Council calling for the closure of a one-way street leading to the Criminal Investigation Directorate and another that leads to Al Abraaj Restaurant.
They said that closing the roads would help reduce traffic congestion on Osama Bin Zaid Avenue, which is home to a number of shops including Al Jazira Supermarket.
The council forwarded the idea to the Works and Housing Ministry, but the ministry rejected it after reviewing traffic flow in the area. The avenue is also known as "Love Road" and is notorious for drivers who cruise up and down it in their cars.
"The road sees traffic jams throughout the day and we wanted to close the connecting streets to ensure that cars don't make turns and just keep driving straight," said area councillor Jaffar Al Qaidoom.
Mr Al Qaidoom said an average of 40 cars enter the avenue from the Ferrari Centre traffic light at one time during the day and 46 at night, according to a study by the Traffic General Directorate.
"Traffic from the Fuddruckers traffic light sees an average of 28 cars during the morning and 48 cars at night at one time," he said yesterday.
"However, in a letter Assistant Under-Secretary for Roads Essam Khalaf, said the number of cars was small and there was no need to make any improvements to the road.
"He said cars using the road to Al Abraaj during the morning are 12 cars at one time and in the evening 44, something that is not really worth the whole fuss of closing those two streets."
Mr Al Qaidoom, who is also vice-chairman of the council's technical and services and public utilities committees, said residents were still unhappy even if the ministry thought it was not important.
"Why bother to send continuous petitions if this issue was not of importance to the residents," he said.
"The ministry should reconsider its decision and take into consideration the plight of residents there, who are suffering a lot of the traffic jams and congestion all day."

2006-05-06T09:58:00.000+03:00

New car park for Manama

By MOHAMMED AL A'ALI
A NEW car park complex could soon be built in one of the most congested areas of Manama.
The seven-storey car park is the second approved by the Manama Municipal Council within a month.
It will be built near the old Al Hamra Cinema, an area in desperate need of parking space, to ease congestion, says the council's technical committee chairman Sadiq Rahma.
He welcomed the move, which follows the approval of a similar application by the Sunni Waqf (Endowment) Directorate, to build a car park in Manama's Al Fadhel neighbourhood.
Mr Rahma said that if more businesses put up car parks, then much of the congestion in Manama would be eased.
"The problem has escalated as new businesses open in Manama, while existing ones have expanded, without adequate car parks and roads being developed to meet the increase in the number of people," he said.
"People park anywhere, whether it is on the pavement or in the middle of the road, or even in places where there are 'No Parking' signs."
Mr Rahma said he did not know if the new car park would be rented out to companies or businesses in the area, but he was happy that more parking space would be available for people.
"I don't really know how much the complex will accommodate, but from the designs it will certainly take 100 cars or more, he said.
"The area is classified as a five-storey maximum building height, but this complex has been given two extra storeys as an exception, because we are trying to encourage more.
"Today, for any business or company to open, they need a car park to accommodate their employees and customers and if they don't provide that, then they don't their licences.
"They have another alternative and that's renting a piece of land and making it as a car park, but now they can rent a floor in these buildings.
Meanwhile, the council has initially backed the opening of a new women's and infertility hospital in Adliya, with the stipulation that the proprietor provides adequate car parking.

2006-05-06T09:42:00.000+03:00

Facelift for Water Garden

By MOHAMMED AL A' ALI
MANAMA
WORK on redeveloping the Water Garden, in Salmaniya, is expected to begin by year-end.The aim is to turn the 40-year-old park into a theme attraction and natural park.
Drawings are expected to be completed before the end of next month and the designs will be presented to the Manama Municipal Council for approval.
"Development work is expected to begin at the end of the year, as work on another old park is still pushing ahead," said council technical committee chairman Sadiq Rahma.
"The Municipalities and Agriculture Affairs Ministry is carrying out the development work on both projects, under the supervision of the council.
"We are keen on having a good project, considering the place is visited by people throughout the year.
Mr Rahma said one of the biggest problems facing the park was the lack of parking space.
"Car parks there can accommodate up to 200 cars, but in a place where up to 10,000 people visit during weekends and public holidays, there should be a solution to this problem," he said.
"The two mosques nearby, Al Sadiq and Kanoo, are facing a problem there because they don't have adequate car parking space and are either using Dairy Queen car park, or the parking area behind Al Qadisiya Club.
"Car parking area near Al Sadiq's is not owned by the mosque and it could be taken away any time.
'The owner who has given the Works and Housing Ministry permission to use the land for car parking, could decide to take it away, unless bought for the mosque."
Mr Rahma said the two ponds in garden would be either renovated, or drained.
"The ponds need treatment because, over the years they have become a haven for insects and worms, including bacteria, and pose a danger to visitors," he said.
But Mr Rahma said new design would focus on greenery and drive will be to plant as much trees and flowers to make it a haven for people to enjoy.
The owner of the rides at the park has been asked to buy new ones, to meet the new standards, he said.
"The rides there are old and needs replacement," he said.
"That doesn't mean they are not liked by people, but their time has come to an end and they should be replaced with new similar ones.
"New rides could be also an addition, considering visitors are also looking for a change to the old rides they have used continuously.

2006-04-30T11:37:00.000+03:00

Nine Corniche firms closed

By MOHAMMED AL A'ALI
MANAMA: Nine businesses on Al Fateh Corniche are to be forcibly closed, after failing to shut voluntarily to make way for new development.
They were warned to close several months ago, since their contracts expired, Manama Municipal Council heard yesterday.
It approved an urgent request from Manama Municipality director-general Abdulkarim Hassan, for authority to shut the businesses immediately.
Their contracts have long expired, with the expiry date ranging from April 2001 to this month, said Mr Hassan.
"The place is earmarked for development and those outlets are hindering our work," he said.
"Their stay there is a violation and they are not paying us any municipal fees."
The outlets include children's rides, restaurants, kiosks, coffee shops and a tourist jetty.
Council technical committee vice-chairman Jaffar Al Kaidoom said contracts for six well-known outlets had been renewed, but the others would be shut within days.
Those staying are Fun Land, the Dolphin Park, the Hawar Hotel and Resort Company, which has a jetty on the seafront, a tour boat operation and two coffee shops.

2006-04-22T09:44:00.000+03:00

Shopkeepers selfish

WE praise the efforts of municipal authorities of Manama in tackling blockades on public roads put up by selfish shopkeepers and residents.

These shopkeepers are not only blocking roads meant for public use, but are spoiling the comfort of driving by narrowing the roads of Bahrain for their own convenience and also arguing with people who stop their vehicles even for a while.

We applaud the initiative of council technical committee chairman Mr Sadiq Rahma (GDN April 10) to keep all our roads free from hindering traffic.

I would like to bring to the attention of Manama Municipality the unusual blockades on road 227 of Manama 302, which is partly blocked by some shopkeepers, namely in bldg 1573, by using fixed posts and chains that are locked to the ground which covers a third of the road's entire width.

2006-04-10T10:44:00.000+03:00

Warning over car park posts

By MOHAMMED AL A' ALI
SELFISH residents and shopkeepers in Manama, who put up metal posts to stop people parking their cars outside their property, will be fined if they are caught doing it twice.
First-time offenders will get off with a warning from the Manama Municipality and the posts will be removed, but if they do it again they will be penalised.
It follows a decision taken yesterday by the Manama Municipal Council, which ruled that people should not be allowed to reserve public roads for their own parking needs.
"Roads are not owned by the people - they are public property for everyone to use," said council technical committee chairman Sadiq Rahma.
"Those who put up posts outside their homes or shops for cars to park are blocking others from using the place to park their cars.
"Everyone notices that certain restaurants and cold stores are using these posts, saying that the car park is for their customers only.
"But that's wrong, considering they are operating the shop and not controlling the road.
"We faced many problems with people saying that some restaurants and cold stores were telling people to go away because this affected their business and the convenience of their customers.
"On the other hand, neighbours have complained about each other saying that people have installed posts that are locked to the ground (to reserve parking) just for their family's use."
Mr Rahma argued that this was wrong because everyone should be entitled to use public roads without difficulty.
"Maybe fining those using posts will send a message that the road is for everyone without any exceptions," he said.
"The issue is now being studied by the financial, administrative and legislative committee, which will decide what the proposed fine should be so the council can approve it before the end of its term next month.
"The problem is these posts are increasing, even with the municipality's continuous efforts to remove them - even those chained to the ground, they are back again and again and again. "The council is concerned that this illegal act will become the norm, making it hard to stop in future."

2006-03-25T10:07:00.000+03:00

Green light for new car park

By MOHAMMED AL A'ALI
A NEW mutli-storey car park building could be built soon at the Manama suq, it was announced.
The Manama Municipal Council gave its initial approval for the project at Al Fadhel neighbourhood to offer people visiting the heavily traffic congested area more parking spaces.
The new building, which could accommodate hundreds of cars, will be located opposite Al Fadhel Mosque.
"The project, which has been initiated by the Sunni Waqf (Endow-ment) Direc-torate, is something we believe would help create more parking areas for visitors to the suq," said council technical affairs committee chairman Sadiq Rahma.
"Whether the directorate decides to rent the building to companies and establishments in the suq or into park meters is something up to them, but it would be certainly better than parking on the pavement or blocking the road.
"The suq has been facing this problem for a long time, because of the expansion of businesses and offices there, without parking areas being taken into consideration.
"We have inspected the place and found it to be convenient for the project.
"It has not been decided how many storeys the building would have and it would be up to the municipality's engineers to decide about its height."
Mr Rahma called on other investors to carry out similar projects in view of the areas need for more car park areas.

2006-03-19T09:27:00.000+03:00

Bangkok visit was at our own expense, say councillors

Foreign tours not unusual, then why has this been made an issue?Naila BarakatStaff ReporterTHE 18 municipal councillors yesterday debunked the media and defended their private trip to Bangkok.“We finished our training visit to Malaysia and we went to Bangkok to rest. We did not use government’s money. We went there at our own expense,” the deputy Chairman of the Muharraq Municipal Council, Dr Mubarak Al Junaid, told the Press.Present were Muharraq Council members Hussain Essa, Ibrahim Al Doy, Sameer Khadem, Khalifa bin Jassim and Manama Council member Shamlan Al Shamlan.“The media focused on our private visit to Bangkok and did not say anything about our Malaysia tour,” Al Junaid said, referring to reports in a local newspaper. “Such misleading reports will lead the public to think that they have not elected the right representatives.”Manama council legal affairs and financial and technical committee member Shamlan Al Shamlan referred to a report in Bahrain Tribune that the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Municipalities Affairs and Agriculture would investigate the matter and said: “Let me tell you that the ministry has nothing to do with the councils. There is no law that states that the ministry has the right to investigate councillors. The chairmen of all the five councils were informed about our private visit to Thailand for three nights.“The media also said the government provided BD2,200 for each councillor for the Malaysia trip and we misused that allowance. The money for this trip came from the council’s budget and that was BD1,960 each for our tour to Kuala Lumpur. It covered our airfare, accommodation, food and pocket money.” Essa refuted media reports that the visit was unnecessary as it took place towards the end of the fourth term of the councils. “The tour was for the councillors to share experience with Malaysian municipalities. We visited works and housing cities, and recycling companies among others. We will use this experience to further improve public services.”Al Shamlan said the municipal law did not say that councillors should not make visits abroad during the end of their term. “And to talk about spending so much money at the end of term, I stress that all councils had agreed on the visit.” Dr Al Junaid said: “We have conducted many tours. Why has this trip been made an issue?”

2006-03-19T08:57:00.001+03:00

Councillors rap Bangkok report

By RASHA AL QAHTANI
MUNICIPAL councillors rounded on the media yesterday and accused newspapers of conducting a witch-hunt after details of an unscheduled two-night break in Thailand were leaked to the Press.
The GDN announced exclusively on Wednesday that 20 councillors went AWOL in Bangkok at the end of an official trip to Malaysia last week.
But some of those at the centre of the controversy called a Press conference at the Muharraq Municipal Council yesterday to defend their mini-vacation.
The Press conference was led by Muharraq Municipal Council vice-chairman Dr Mubarak Junaid, who claimed that councillors made use of their trip to stop in Bangkok to see what it offers its people.
"We benefited a lot from the trip to Thailand because we saw how they managed their transport, landscaping and roads," he said.
"But lots of newspapers attacked our trip to Thailand - making us look very bad and using very inappropriate words."
Dr Junaid also stressed that the trip to Bangkok was paid for from councillors' own pockets - not from the municipality's budget.
The GDN reported that instead of returning to Bahrain last Sunday as they were supposed to, 20 councillors decided to check themselves into the four-star Radisson Hotel in Bangkok for two nights on their way back.
They were among a group of 25 councillors who went on an official visit to Malaysia, but only five came back on time.
Some of those who decided to stay in Thailand, where they stopped to catch a connecting flight, missed council meetings last Monday as a result.
They arrived in Bahrain on Tuesday, but the trip to Malaysia was already controversial because it took place so close to the end of the councillors' four-year term due to finish in May.
"I don't know why the media took a negative point of view about the three-day trip to Thailand," said Manama Municipal Councillor Shamlan Al Shamlan.
"Some newspapers mentioned that each member received BD2,200 from the municipality, which is not true at all. We only received BD1,900."
The budget for each councillor included airfare, accommodation, food and pocket money during their stay in Kuala Lumpur.
Muharraq Municipal Council member Khalifa Al Binjassim said he thought the media approached the story very "coldly" without considering the people involved in it or their reputation.
"To publish such a story and the way they wrote about the delegation's visit to Thailand was inappropriate," he said.
"I don't know what the big deal is if we went to see another country after our work in Malaysia.
"The media looks for stories that are exciting for readers and gives no consideration to the people concerned in the story.
"This is not the first time that municipal councillors have taken a few days off from work after a trip. Why didn't they write about those trips?"
Mr Al Binjassim accused newspapers of focusing on this latest trip because of Bangkok's reputation as a place to party.
"We did not do anything wrong," he said.
"We went to Thailand to have a look at what they provided their citizens so that we and the people who come after us can benefit from the trip."
The councillors said they would now submit a report on their visit to Malaysia, which will include a section on their experience in Thailand.
However, their actions have drawn criticism from fellow councillors such as Central Municipal Councillor Sayed Abdulla Al A'ali.
Technical
He has said that nobody from the Central Municipal Council took part in the trip to Malaysia because there was so much work to do before the end of the current term, which started in May 2002.
Meanwhile, vice-chairman of Manama Municipal Council's technical and services and public utilities committees, Jaffar Al Qaidoom, also criticised the decision to extend their trip.
"The Malaysia trip was genuine considering that councillors were there to learn and get ideas that could be adopted in the future in Bahrain," he said.
"But the number of those who went was too large and the decision to stay in Bangkok delayed many projects and even threatened the cancellation of many meetings."
That is because six councillors are required to attend a council session for it to go ahead.
"Our council chairman, Murtadha Bader, was with them in Malaysia, but he came back because the two nights [in Thailand] were not from his own time - but that of the council," added Mr Al Qaidoom. "It would have been acceptable if one or two from each council who went to Malaysia decided to go to Thailand, but the large number affected the councils a lot and attracted attention."

2006-03-16T11:33:00.000+03:00

Councillors face the music after Bangkok jaunt

By MOHAMMED AL A'ALI
MANAMA
TWENTY municipal councillors who went missing in Bangkok, Thailand, were said to be back at work yesterday. They flew back to Bahrain late on Tuesday night after going AWOL at the end of an official trip to Malaysia, according to a top municipal source. Instead of returning on Sunday as they were supposed to, they apparently decided to check themselves into the four-star Radisson Hotel in Bangkok for two nights.
The councillors were among a group of 25 who travelled to Malaysia on March 3, but only five came back to Bahrain on time after catching their connecting flight in Thailand.
Their official trip to Malaysia was already controversial because it took place so close to the end of the councillors' four-year term, which is due to finish in May.
Councillors from the Northern, Southern, Manama and Muharraq Municipal Councils took part in the visit, but none from the Central Municipal Council travelled - voting instead to stay in Bahrain to conclude work that had piled up.
The decision of 20 councillors to vacation in Thailand instead of returning to Bahrain drew fire from Central Municipal Councillor Sayed Abdulla Al A'ali.
"We (the Central Municipal Council) have managed to complete a lot of work during these two weeks, which we would have lost roaming here and there without any use," he told the GDN yesterday.
"People here expect a lot from us and I wouldn't really blame His Majesty King Hamad if he decided to scrap the councils after what happened this week.
"This is a shameful act and even if councillors didn't go for anything bad - deciding to go to Bangkok was a big mistake."
The councillors are understood to have been given BD2,200 each from the government to spend during their trip to Kuala Lumpur.
However, some of those who took part in the trip claimed they used their own cash for the sojourn to Thailand - where they paid upwards of $110 (BD41.58) a night for the hotel.
One of the councillors who stopped off in Thailand was Muharraq Municipal Councill-or Sameer Khadim, but he said they had nothing to hide.
"We were going to Bangkok anyway because our flights transited there and even the five councillors who came back went through Bangkok International Airport," he said.
"Bangkok is a good shopping destination and no one would ever miss this opportunity to shop for good quality and cheap products.
"We had this planned among us from the beginning because Bangkok is famous for its good markets.
"The money we spent there came from our own pockets and not the council's budget."
Mr Khadim argued that an extra two days absence did not affect the council's work and that he was working hard for his constituency.
"I never let my people down and they know that I have many projects that will see the light soon in Hidd," he said.
Councillor Hussain Isa, also from Muharraq, was also on the trip to Bangkok.
But he claimed that since the councillors were due back from an overseas trip on Sunday, they were not obliged to be at the council's meeting that they missed on Monday.
However, his own council chairman, Mohammed Al Wazzan, denied that anyone from his council had gone to Thailand - saying they only transited through the airport.
"This is all lies and I believe the person behind this wants to destroy the trust of the people to the councils," he claimed yesterday.
It is claimed that the councillors who went to Thailand did notify their council chairman, but did not give a reason for the visit.
Three of those who took part in the trip were from the Manama Municipal Council, according to council vice-chairman Tariq Al Shaikh.
He said he did not go, but was quick to defend his colleagues. "It is unfair and the municipal source that leaked the information has a hidden agenda against other councillors," he said.
"Everyone is entitled to a few days of recreation and our councillors are trustworthy.
"The whole country knows that none would be going there for nightlife because they are respectable and strong religiously."

2006-03-16T08:43:00.000+03:00

Councillors’ Bangkok vacation to be probed

The government will carry out an investigation into the unofficial and unscheduled vacation of some municipal councillors in Bangkok, following their official visit to Malaysia. The Ministry of Municipalities Affairs will look into the matter and question all those councillors who decided to take vacation in Thailand, following their official tour to Kuala Lumpur from March 4 to 10, the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Municipalities Affairs and Agriculture, Dr Juma Al Ka’abi told Bahrain Tribune yesterday.“The ministry will not be able to take any action until it investigates the matter. We cannot comment without knowing the reasons and I think we have to confirm things before be take further actions,” he said. Dr Al Ka’abi said that the Minister of Municipalities Affairs and Agriculture, Ali Saleh Al Saleh, did not know about the incident as he was out of the country.The delegation consisting of 23 members was headed by the Chairman of the Manama Municipal Council, Murtada Bader. It included members from all the five councils. Among the delegates were also two members from the Malaysian Gold Mark Company that organised the tour.Seven of the delegates arrived on Saturday, while the remaining 16 headed to Bangkok following the training tour to Kuala Lampur, to share the experience of Malaysian municipal councillors.Bader told the Tribune that the government paid BD1, 600 to each councillor to cover the expenses of the trip such as hotel accommodation, ticket, food and travel expenses.“Three of my councillors, Majeed Milad, Sadiq Rahma and Shamlan Al Shamlan, had informed me that they would go to Bangkok while the secretary of the Manama Council, Jassim Redha, and Northern councillor Juma Al Aswad stayed back in Malaysia. Redha could not come on time because of difficulties with his bookings. The General Director of Manama Municipality, Abdulkarim Hassan, and municipality staff Hussain Hassan returned immediately after the tour,” he said.“The councillors do not need any permission to travel to other places, but they must inform their councils. They have not applied for the leave and once they return then they will sort out their paper work.”Bader said that Manama council had a meeting in which these councillors were missing and some of the papers remained pending.

2006-03-15T09:47:00.000+03:00

Councillors 'missing' in Bangkok

By MOHAMMED AL A'ALI
MANAMA: Twenty municipal councillors have reportedly gone AWOL in Bangkok, Thailand, instead of returning to work in Bahrain.
Twenty-five councillors went on an official visit to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, last week, but only five returned, a top municipal source told the GDN.
The rest booked tickets to Bangkok where they are on an unscheduled vacation - even though they were supposed to be back at work on Saturday.
They apparently informed the council chairmen.
"The councillors were given BD2,200 each by the government for their (Malaysia) trip, but instead of returning home they are still abroad, which means that many files still remain pending," said the official.
"The councils haven't received any holiday request from these councillors yet, which means they are out of work without any genuine reason - something that will be dealt with seriously when they come back."
The trip was already controversial because it took place so close to the end of the councillors' term.

2006-03-13T10:27:00.000+03:00

Masked youngsters riot in Sanabis again

MANAMA
Masked youths last night ran riot in Sanabis again, for the third consecutive day.
They blocked roads with cement blocks, set fire to rubbish bins, hurled stones at police and exploded gas cylinders.
Similar destruction in the early hours of yesterday has been heavily criticised by their local councillor.
Several cars, including a police vehicle, were damaged in the rioting on early Sunday morning.
The youths' behaviour is unacceptable, said Manama Municipal Council member Mohammed Mansoor, who represents the village.
"They are taking every opportunity to destroy, thinking that it is fun, but it is not.
"Whether the rioters are from Sanabis or outside, what is happening is unacceptable and damages Bahrain's reputation as a place of peace and calm."

2006-03-06T00:06:00.000+03:00

Council lifts ban on building

By MOHAMMED AL A'ALI
A DECISION to halt construction of a 10-storey building in Umm Al Hassam has been reversed by the Manama Municipal Council.
The council has reconsidered its decision because the owner had acquired the licence to build before the area was reclassified.
The new regulations only allow a maximum of six-storey buildings in the area.
However, the municipality had earlier given it the green light to go up to 10 storeys under the previous classification system, which was later amended.
Municipalities and Agriculture Minister Ali Saleh Al Saleh ordered work to stop on the building for a month while the council looked into the matter.
Council technical affairs committee vice-chairman Jaffar Al Qaidoom said the contractor has also been given a one-storey extension for an 11-storey building.
"The ministry's legal consultant and the Manama Municipality lawyer have stressed that the ministry will need to compensate the owner, if they decided to scrap their old decision to give him permission for 10-storeys," he said.
"The area could take more than six-storeys and even if other buildings there are shorter, we believe that this building can be an exception.
"When the council changed the old classification system, it didn't mention anything about those with old licences under the old system and this is why we believe that the project should go ahead."
Now the building owner will have to wait for a final decision from Mr Al Saleh on whether the project should go ahead or not.
Project consultant Bahrain Engineering Bureau proprietor Khalid Jamsheer told the GDN earlier that the ministry's move was bad for business and could scare away investors.
He estimated that it could cause the entire project to fail - resulting in the land value dropping by 50 per cent from its BD40 per square foot price.
Mr Jamsheer said the project was initiated following an earlier change in the area's classification in 2004, which allowed for buildings of up to 10 storeys to be built above the ground floor.

2006-03-02T08:04:00.000+03:00

Single-window system proposed

A single-window system to issue permits for commercial establishments can help avoid duplication of work at the Manama Municipality and the Urban Design Department.According to Manama Municipal Council secretary Jassim Redha, “The council’s technical committee discussed the duplication of process for permits by the and the municipality. The committee will hold talks with the Undersecretary of Ministry of Municipalities Affairs and Agriculture, Juma Al Kaabi, to stop approving urban designs and instead forward them to the municipality which is empowered to do the job. If it happens, then the unnecessary paper work can be avoided,” “The demand for permits has been increasing and people apply with the department as well as municipality. Usually, the department issues no-objection certificates but when the municipality verifies regulations and the zone status of the areas the applicants have opted for, then the problems start.“For example, an applicant wants to open a coffee shop in Basian Tower in Hoora. The department may not see anything wrong about it. But we know that due to the zoning, coffee shops are not allowed in the area,” Redha said, adding that the council intended to impress upon Dr Al Kaabi to allow the municipality to process the permits to avoid problems.“The technical committee also held talks on the Shaikh Salman Highway passing through the Ghufool roundabout to the Khamis Mosque where all buildings should have an offset margin of six metres from the road line and as much from car parks. The General Director of the Municipality, Abdulkarim Hassan, has suggested to keep only the parking margin so that we could have a straight line joining all the existing and proposed buildings.“This road is full of showrooms and the council is studying the suggestion and will seek advice from the Directorate of Roads at the Ministry of Works and Housing and the parties involved.” Redha said.The facility aims to help avoid duplication of work on permits between the municipality and the urban design department

2006-03-01T10:55:00.000+03:00

Mini-councils at schools mooted

The aim is to increase the youngsters’ awareness about the democratic movement and the contribution of the municipal councils.THE Manama Municipal Council has mooted the idea of setting up mini councils at public schools to update the students on Bahrain’s democratic movement.In a session, the information and public relations committee said it would take up the matter with the Ministry of Education to increase awareness among youngsters about the municipal councils and their contribution to the democratic movement, the committee head, Mohammed Abdullah Mansoor, said. “Schoolchildren can also learn about democratic practices such as elections.”“The council will discuss the proposal with schools and get feedback on the municipal councils. The mini-councils will help students experience the election process by contesting various positions. From each grade there will be representatives in the council which will suggest subjects for teaching. Mansoor said they would also propose to the ministry to send students to the councils learn the work process. “We are coordinating with the ministry to receive students who can learn about the Manama Municipality and the council. Councillors will brief them on various sections of the executive offices in the municipality.”The public relations committee also studied a proposal for the Ministry of Health to mark the International Health Day. The council is planning campaigns to create awareness about bird flu and drug abuse. “We need to raise awareness about how medicines from health centres and government hospitals are being misused. The awareness campaign will be held in April.“The committee also discussed a short-story writing competition for all writers and their stories will be used by the council in its publication. The prize for the best writer will be BD2,000. The contest will be held between mid-March and mid-April. Rules and regulations will be announced soon.”He said the committee would take part in the first municipal conference to be held from March 26 to 27, under the patronage of the Prime Minister, Shaikh Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa.

2006-02-26T09:32:00.000+03:00

Manama Council launches social services project

THE much-awaited social services project of the Manama Municipal Council was launched yesterday, with the assessment of 20 houses which need minor improvements.The project compliments the national project to rehabilitate old houses launched following directives of His Majesty the King, Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, in all the five governorates.The council’s project aims to help needy families to renovate toilets, replace tiles, doors and windows, or give a face-list to their homes, secretary Jassim Redha said.“We launched the project by referring the cases to the municipality for assessment and then to contractors. Since each renovation contract is less than BD3, 000, direct action can be taken,” he said. “The project complements the rehabilitation of old houses by taking care of minor repairs. The national rehabilitation project under which old houses are demolished and replaced with new ones, follows similar refurbishment in the buildings which only need upgrading. Therefore, our project will help reduce the workload on the government.“We have begun with 20 cases and have estimated the refurbishment cost. We have also received quotations from contractors hired a technician from the Manama Municipality to take care of the project. Phase One has been allocated BD100,000 to help as many needy families as possible. We expect to allocate about BD2,500 for each each. The budget has come from the common fund of the municipality,” Redha said

2006-02-21T00:59:00.000+03:00

Café culture...

ACCORDING to Manama Municipal council secretary Jassim Redha the council is coming down heavily on internet cafes and has decided to ban private cabins.
He further says since the number of cafes is increasing enormously, teenagers are getting easy access to pornography.
Earlier some councillors and deputies alleged that some teenage boys and girls used such internet cafes as cheap place of meeting etc. I do not know in which world people like Jassim Redha are living. Do they work just sitting in their offices and homes or practically they do take some pain in visiting the areas from they were elected.
Internet cafes have separate cabins where the young used to see prohibited sites. This was years ago. Today most of the internet cafes have put their computers open with only four-metre high partitions and not closed cabins.
Only a very few still have closed cabins which they are also converting to open spaces. Jassim is wrong that the number of internet cafes is going up. He needs to correct his knowledge.
Internet cafes are decreasing and call centres are increasing. The already existing internet cafes have too converted themselves into telephony call centres as according to them the latter is more profitable.
Almost 90 per cent of internet cafes in the capital have converted their net cabins into phone cabins and only one or two PCs are reserved for internet. In order to provide more cabins for telephony, where there are one or two internet cabins left these are like pigeon holes which can take only one chair with leg turned.
With Batelco's attitude now without first announcing billing Down Loading fee the rest of the cafes are slowly closing the internet facility. People like Jassim Redha if they really want to serve the community, they need to divert their attention to more serious community civic problems.
They must see how old Manama corniche marble benches and trees have been demolished, uninterrupted walkers garden-road side path has been given away to a food outlet by carving a special road for the outlet.
If Jassim and his like are interested they should see how fish are being sold outside Last Chance where hundreds of vehicles throw dust and smoke on this fish and only three yards from there is a waste dump and a toilet.
Bachelors should go out of Manama, gents clothes should not to be hanged on balconies are cheap slogans for the next elections.
One who visits internet cafes does not have net at home

2006-02-21T00:50:00.000+03:00

Building clamp sparks row

By TARIQ KHONJI
A MUNICIPAL council has been accused of deterring investment into Bahrain by halting construction of a 10-storey apartment building in Umm Al Hassam after it had already been given the go-ahead. The Manama Municipal Council will now reconsider its decision to block construction after work had already started.
It vetoed the project while it was already under way after agreeing to only allow new buildings to be built in the area if they are no more than six storeys high.
The council had earlier given it the green light to go up to 10 storeys under a previous classification system.
However, the Municipalities and Agriculture Ministry upheld the council's decision and ordered construction work to stop for one month after the main contractor had already begun piling work.
Project consultant Bahrain Engineering Bureau proprietor Khalid Jamsheer said the move was bad for business and could scare away investors.
He estimated that it could turn the entire project into a failure - resulting in the land value dropping 50 per cent from its BD40 per square foot price.
"The project was approved by Civil Defence, the Electricity and Water Ministry, the Roads Directorate and even the zoning department of the Municipalities and Agriculture Ministry," said Mr Jamsheer.
"We followed all the proper procedures and began construction.
"We were shocked that they ordered us to stop without giving us an explanation."
Mr Jamsheer said the project was initiated following a change in the area's classification in 2004, which allowed for buildings of up to 10 storeys to be built above the ground floor.
"The area had been changed to classification C, which allows for taller buildings," he said.
"Bahrain's policy, as stated by Prime Minister Shaikh Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, is to favour vertical construction because this is a small country without much space.
"In Dubai, buildings are allowed to go up to 80 or 90 floors and we are still stuck at six?"
Mr Jamsheer urged Municipalities and Agriculture Minister Ali Saleh Al Saleh, who is said to have signed the documents freezing the project, to reverse his decision.
He also accused the Council of being ignorant of economic concerns, adding that a shorter building would take a much longer time for the investor to recover his investment.
"It could take 10 years or more, which would make the investment a failure," continued Mr Jamsheer.
However, Manama Municipal Council chairman Murtaza Bader said the area had been reclassified again to make Manama better organised.
"We don't want to have really tall buildings next to really short ones," he said.
"We will be discussing this matter at our meeting on Tuesday. We may reverse the decision or we may compensate the investor for the losses."
A statement from the Municipalities and Agriculture Ministry said it does not have the legal right to go against the council's decision to halt construction.
"The council ordered the construction to be halted for one month while it studies the matter," it said.
The ministry is now awaiting the council's final decision on Tuesday before taking any further action.

2006-02-20T09:56:00.000+03:00

Municipal counters open

EIGHT counters have opened at the Manama Municipality to register building permit applications and receive municipal fines.The Minister of Municipalities Affairs and Agriculture, Ali Saleh Al Saleh, inaugurated the counters yesterday in the presence of the General Director of the municipality, Abdulkarim Hassam, Manama Municipal Council chairman Murtada Bader, secretary Jassim Redha and other officials. The counters aim to speed up the processing of applications and other work as part of the municipality’s initiative to facilitate e-municipality.Al Saleh said the ministry would extend the facility to all other municipalities. “We are trying to put everything concept-wise. Once people submit their applications, there will be follow-up by SMS on their papers and when they will receive the permits. The counters will handle licences for advertisements,” Redha said.He said the counters would work from 7am to 12.30pm. There will be a support team of engineers to expedite the work and solve problems.

2006-02-19T11:40:00.000+03:00

10-storey project stalled

Naila BarakatStaff ReporterThe BAHRAIN Engineering Bureau Consultant office has cried foul over the decision of the Ministry of Municipalities Affairs and Agriculture to halt work on its building due to the rezoning of the area.The Manama Municipality has issued a violation ticket to the owner of BD2 million project, who has a permit to build a 10-storey building, to now restrict it to six-storeys.Khalid Jamsheer, who is developing the project in Umm Al Hassam, said: “In October 2004, a Bahraini investor had come to our office to develop his land in Umm Al Hassam. In August 2004, the ministerial order No. 51 combined the area categories under new investments areas. We were developing the plot over 1,037 square metres. We designed a luxury flats building based on the site in the investment area C which is for 10-storey buildings. We obtained the approval of the Ministry of Electricity and Water, the Roads Directorate, Civil Defence and Aviation, Drainage Section and the zoning department at the Ministry of Municipalities Affairs and Agriculture. We obtained the building permit in December 2005.”He said the upper right hand side of the permit paper says the classification is C. But in July 2005, the law No. 27 confirmed the building regulations for the new investment areas. The Cabinet also approved new regulations for the investment area ‘D’ which limits 10-storey buildings to six. According to area zoning, the plot is now in the investment C area which means 10-storeys. “The tender was awarded to class A contractor, Al Ghanah Construction. The piling work started. And then a municipality official served the violation notice, asking us to stop the work immediately,” Jamsheer said.“A municipality inspector also visited us and warned that if the construction continued, then the matter would be taken to police. He also asked us to attend a meeting in office of inspections on February 12 at 9am. During the discussion we learnt that the Manama Municipal Council had asked to stop the work and reduce the building height from 10 floors to six, but did not provide any reason.” He said the council also wrote to the minister, Ali Al Saleh, to issue order to stop the construction. “The council has also taken action to reclassify the area from C to D investment area which means that the land which was on sale for BD40 per square feet is now worth less than BD20 to BD15. We reject the decision. Who will compensate for the project and those who have bought land?” he said Council secretary Jassim Redha said Clause No. 21 of the Municipal Act No. 35 for 2001 empowered the council to review permits. “We have ordered the work stopped for one month because the area had been changed due to zoning. Jamsheer had a permit on the previous zoning map. We think that if this building is constructed then it will be the only one with 11 floors among in the area where only a maximum of six-floors is allowed. “We think they might ask for compensation and the ministry should think about it. We want to support all investors deal with them as partners under the guidelines issued by the minister. The temporary halt is to study the case due to the rezoning of the areas. We will have a special session on Tuesday to take a decision.”

2006-02-18T11:43:00.000+03:00

Building clamp

MANAMA: The Municipalities and Agriculture Ministry has halted the construction of a 10-storey building in Umm Al Hassam following a complaint by a member of the Manama Municipal Council, sources told our sister paper Akhbar Al Khaleej.

This effectively cancels the building licence issued by a competent municipal authority and limits the building to six storeys

2006-02-17T11:37:00.000+03:00

Permits for universities, clinics leave council in jitters

The Manama Municipal Council has a major problem. It is facing difficulties in identifying suitable sites as the ministries of Education and Health continue to issue licences for universities and clinics. “Our problem is to identify sites and then squeeze in universities and clinics in residential areas in the Capital where car parking space is scarce,” council secretary Jassim Redha said yesterday. “We are forced to give out spaces to private universities and educational institutions, because the Ministry of Education issues permits without consulting us or knowing where to locate them,” he said. “Our technical committee headed by Sadiq Rahma has decided to approve criteria for private schools and universities in Manama. The problem is that the universities in the residential areas are reluctant to allocate parking areas. “I think it will be a great help if all the five municipal councils are involved in the process of issuing permits. Both the ministries continue to issue licences for clinics and institutions because the government has been focusing on providing better health and education facilities. But the ministries should identify the district and the area before issuing the licences. The people who are granted the permits approach us for and our problems begin,” he said. One way out, Redha said, was to exert pressure on the universities and clinics to provide as much parking space as possible. “We have 43 private educational institutions permitted by the ministry. The number has increased in the past three years following the government initiative to further improve the facilities. The ministry is already supervising 218 schools.” By our staff reporter

2006-02-15T10:21:00.000+03:00

Mosques, matams can open shops in non-trading zones

Mosques and matams (community centres) can set up shops on their premises in non-commercial zones. As an exception, the Manama Municipal Council yesterday set special rules so that the religious establishments can open shops to ensure a steady income to fund their programmes, council secretary Jassim Redha said. “Previous rules allow each mosque to open only one shop. We have now extended the rules to matams and other religious organisations. We also want to relax the rules so that they can open more than one shop. But we will amend regulations based on each case.” “The council approved two shops for the Karbabad matam. The new rules to open shops at religious centres and mosques are an exception in the sense that the shops won’t be on the commercial roads.” The head of the technical committee, Sadiq Rahman, said the council would facilitate the opening of two shops at every matam in the Capital and elsewhere in the Kingdom. “Our meeting yesterday also called for the withdrawal of the decision to exchange plots of land between the Ministry of Housing and the Ministry of Education. “In 2002 the Ministry of Housing exchanged some plots behind the Bapco Garden near the Pearl roundabout with a plot in Riffa. The plot belonged to the Manama Municipality and the exchange cause huge losses to the municipality. “The Riffa plot is only 1,200 square metres and cost BD10, 000, but the two plots near the garden are huge and cost more than BD1 million. Naila Barakat Staff Reporter

2006-02-14T10:03:00.000+03:00

No ‘shortcuts’ to their protection

Youngsters’ cabins in Internet cafés to go The Manama Municipal Council has espoused a new philosophy – ‘protect them young.’ Coming down heavily on Internet cafés in the Capital, the council has decided to ban private cabins which have become more than a nuisance. As the number of cafés is increasing, more and more teenagers are getting an easy access to pornography, thanks to the cabins. Council secretary Jassim Redha told Bahrain Tribune yesterday that complaints had been pouring in about cafés and the way they provide facilities for children to sit in privacy and surf pornographic sites. “The cafés charge the children very little amount on hourly basis. If youngsters surf the Internet for one hour they have all the time to browse any site they want,” Redha said. “Most of the cafés depend on this kind of market to make money and therefore they save pornographic sites as ‘SHORT CUTs’ on the desktop so that the users do not have to waste time looking for the sites. Just click ‘SHORTCUTs’ and that’s it.” Redha said Batelco had shown a white flag saying that it did not have control to block pornographic sites and that could block only text. There are 100 per cent pornographic sites and Batelco can block only 2.5 per cent of them. It cannot block all pictures either. “Our technical committee, headed by Sadiq Rahma, has paid inspection visits to various cafés. The main problem is that the cafés provide private cabins which are illegal because they have not been permitted by the municipality. Since they don’t take permission for making alterations in the shops, it is considered a municipal violation. “We will enforce our decision with a firm hand to ensure that all the cafés have their computer areas open. There should be no cabins for youngsters. Yes, there can be some kind of shield near the computer screens for privacy for the users. “The cafés must keep a vigil on youngsters surfing the Net. Our responsibility is to ensure that the cafés are well-designed and commit no violations. The Ministry of Information should look into ways to block such sites.” Redha said.Last update on: 14-2-2006

2006-02-12T22:15:00.000+03:00

Stop dumping harmful waste!

By RASHA AL QAHTANI

CONSTRUCTION companies have been ordered by the Manama Municipality to stop dumping waste materials at a Juffair coastline and a private plot of land.

The move followed a petition signed by Juffair residents, who asked the Manama Municipal Council to preserve the area's environment.

Residents said the pollution has also been emitting a stench that was becoming unbearable.

"I inspected the land accompanied by environment experts. It was appalling," council member Sayed Yousif Hashim Alawi told the GDN.

"These companies have been dumping harmful waste for a very long time now, which destroyed a large section of wildlife and the plants it thrives on.

"The building waste materials polluted the water, which may be harmful to the seagulls normally found there.

"This made the residents ask the municipality to order the companies to stop dumping their waste and preserve the environment and cleanliness of the coastline."

The residents also demanded the area be cleaned up of the waste, which has already been started by the municipality.

Mr Alawi warned that action would be taken against companies that may be dumping waste illegally in the future.

"Factories that are found dumping illegally will be punished according to the amount of waste," he said.

"They will also be ordered to improve the situation and meet the specifications of the environment inspection team."

2006-02-12T00:14:00.000+03:00

Stop dumping harmful waste!

By RASHA AL QAHTANI
CONSTRUCTION companies have been ordered by the Manama Municipality to stop dumping waste materials at a Juffair coastline and a private plot of land.
The move followed a petition signed by Juffair residents, who asked the Manama Municipal Council to preserve the area's environment.
Residents said the pollution has also been emitting a stench that was becoming unbearable.
"I inspected the land accompanied by environment experts. It was appalling," council member Sayed Yousif Hashim Alawi told the GDN.
"These companies have been dumping harmful waste for a very long time now, which destroyed a large section of wildlife and the plants it thrives on.
"The building waste materials polluted the water, which may be harmful to the seagulls normally found there.
"This made the residents ask the municipality to order the companies to stop dumping their waste and preserve the environment and cleanliness of the coastline."
The residents also demanded the area be cleaned up of the waste, which has already been started by the municipality.
Mr Alawi warned that action would be taken against companies that may be dumping waste illegally in the future.
"Factories that are found dumping illegally will be punished according to the amount of waste," he said.
"They will also be ordered to improve the situation and meet the specifications of the environment inspection team."

2006-02-09T10:11:00.000+03:00

How many more clampdowns?

AS the sun rises (or the sin rises) daily, so is the number of clamps on the rise in Bahrain. With enough and more clamps already in force, here comes yet two more latest clamps called "The bachelors clamp" (GDN, January 23) and "The Peeping Tom clamp" (GDN, January 24).
According to the Muharraq Municipal Council chairman Mr Al Jowder, in future , owners of new multi-storey buildings located in residential areas, will be permitted to instal only one-way windows. This is in order to prevent people peeping into the privacy of a woman's freedom of movement within her home. It means that, if a land is situated in the middle of four or five houses surrounding it then the high-rise buildings will have no windows at all.
Well, if that is the case, then what is the worry for Mr Sadiq Rahma concerning the bachelors living in Manama?
I can give two good suggestions. Whether you accept it or not is another matter.
1. The Manama municipal councillor can sign a long-term contract with the Muharraq municipal councillor to house all the bachelors living in Manama, who exhibit their body parts, in the new buildings of Muharraq without windows. Provide each building with enough number of telescopes on the roof top, focusing up into the sky, so that the bachelors are kept busy gazing at the stars and moon all through.
2. Animal cages of many of the circus companies in India are lying idle. Import a few of those cages and erect them in Askar overlooking the scrap yard. Then hunt down all the bachelors in and around Bahrain and lock them up in these cages. Release them only at the time of reporting for work.
I don't think that anybody else could have given you a faster solution than this, for such a complex issue. However I will advise you to choose proposal no 1, because the end result will be tremendous. You can get two birds with one shot. The major problem faced by the families on account of these indecent bachelors will be contained and they will emerge as great astronomers of tomorrow.
Anyway, whatever you people may do, or whatever action you may take all that I wish to say is that "Let not your actions make the citizens of other countries think that the people of Bahrain are living in a real mad, mad world".
Abraham Samuel (Bijji)