Roads, parks and drains dominate Capital Board report

TDT | Manama

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BD3.7 million to run Lulu Shopping Centre leads the Capital Trustees Board’s third-session work, the board said.

Chairman Saleh Tarradah put money matters first in his report on the September 2024 to June 2025 session, pointing to tighter rent and fee collection and efforts to recover arrears.

The contract for Lulu Shopping Centre was highlighted as the largest move, while other municipal properties are to be brought back into use.

Roads, drains and parks filled much of the agenda.

The board logged over 300 requests across Manama, from resurfacing and garden upkeep to new green spaces. Waterfront schemes, including the King Faisal Corniche and Tubli Walkway, were also pursued, together with repairs to public markets and amenities.

Environmental work ranged from a recycling trial in Aker with the Supreme Council for Environment and Bapco to planting and protecting mangroves.

Tarradah said: “These steps show Bahrain’s aim to quadruple mangrove cover by 2035 and reach carbon neutrality by 2060.”

Technology was another strand. The board proposed a trial using artificial intelligence in public gardens to track visitor use, with the stated aim of improving facilities while keeping data private.

Tarradah said: “Such an approach shows the council’s intent to keep pace with smart urban management.”

Applications to reclassify land and redraw zoning were reviewed, with views passed to the Housing and Urban Planning Ministry.