Parliamentary Debate Highlights Future of Jidhafs Market Amid Calls for Protection and Redevelopment

TDT | Manama

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During the seventeenth ordinary session of the Council of Representatives, held within the fourth ordinary annual term of the sixth legislative session, Jidhafs Market emerged as a central focus of parliamentary debate, reflecting wider concerns over traditional markets, livelihoods, and urban regulation.

MP Mamdouh Al Saleh raised strong objections to the continuation of measures affecting vendors in Jidhafs Market, warning that enforcement actions taken in the absence of realistic alternatives risked harming long established traders. He described the market as one of the Kingdom’s oldest commercial centres, suffering from structural deterioration and poor service conditions, including limited parking, inadequate sanitation, and weak ventilation. Al Saleh stressed that vendors had not been offered practical substitute locations, calling on the government to conduct a detailed field study and site visit before proceeding further. He further emphasised the market’s social and economic importance, noting its ability to attract visitors from Bahrain and across the Gulf.

In response, the Undersecretary for Municipal Affairs, Shaikh Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Khalifa, thanked members for raising the issue, affirming the market’s vital role in serving the local community. He clarified that the ministry had completed a comprehensive inventory of activities within the market, successfully regularising nearly ninety percent of shops and businesses, including vegetable, meat, and fish vendors, while continuing coordination to address the remaining cases.

Shaikh Ahmed explained that the measures currently underway did not constitute permanent removals, but rather organisational steps aimed at improving safety, environmental standards, and traffic flow, given the market’s location on a busy thoroughfare. He announced that the ministry was preparing to implement comprehensive maintenance works during the current period, covering internal and external refurbishment, electrical systems, and supporting infrastructure to enhance the overall market environment.

He stressed that vendors and stallholders remained partners in the redevelopment process, urging compliance with regulatory requirements while assuring that solutions had been developed to address access routes and pedestrian movement. Concluding his remarks, the undersecretary expressed confidence that Jidhafs Market would re-emerge in an organised and modernised form, offering a clean and safe environment that balances development objectives with the interests of traders and residents alike.