Southern Municipal Council clears land for Al Buhair health centre

TDT | Manama

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Expropriation of land for a long-awaited health centre in Al Buhair topped the Southern Municipal Council’s decisions yesterday, alongside plans to ease East Riffa’s traffic and news that a proposed revival of Bahrain’s ‘dilapidated homes’ scheme has been dropped.

Councillors gave unanimous backing to acquire a plot in Al Buhair for a public health centre. The aim is to cut the strain on nearby centres and spare residents the trek to other districts for routine care.

The site is being chosen for reach, so that families in outlying streets can get seen without a long drive.

Emergencies

Chairman Abdullah Abdullatif, who put the case to colleagues, said the centre would raise day-to-day care and speed the response to emergencies.

He added that setting land aside for public services keeps pace with new housing and gives the area what it has lacked for years: a local clinic that people can reach quickly.

He said the knock-on effects should be felt beyond health. A new clinic tends to lift nearby property values, draw small investments and open up jobs.

Care

It also helps even out the map of care, so neighbourhoods with fewer services are not left behind.

On roads, the council agreed to recommend a one-way entry from Shaikh Isa Avenue to Road 1114 in Block 911, East Riffa.

The lane is narrow and currently a dead end, which traps traffic at peak times. The fix is simple: entry only, no exit.

Eighth-constituency representative Ali Al-Shaikh said residents have lodged many complaints about queues and awkward access, and noted the spot is the most workable.

The neighbour beside the planned turn-in has raised no objection.

Response

Members also recorded the Ministry of Municipalities Affairs and Agriculture’s response on the ‘dilapidated houses’ file.

The ministry said the scheme will not be brought back.

Under a Cabinet decision, owners of unsafe homes are treated as eligible for Eskan Bank loans for repairs, while the Ministry of Housing takes on case reviews and the works needed for repair or rebuild once files are passed across by the Municipalities and Urban Planning Ministry.