Unify rules for unused government land ‘takeover’

TDT | Manama

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An urgent parliamentary proposal calls on the government to adopt one clear process for residents seeking to add small government-owned corners and strips of land beside their homes, with Dumistan’s Block 1022 named as a case where applications have sat unresolved for years.

The request was submitted by MPs Munir Seroor, Zainab AbdulAmeer, Hassan Bukhammas, Hanan Fardan and Mohammed Salman Al Ahmed.

It says residents in several areas have repeatedly written to authorities asking to annex adjoining plots that are often unused in practice.

According to the explanatory memorandum, many of these spaces sit next to existing houses and, in many cases, their addition would not affect zoning plans, public services or the public road.

The memo also says there is often no objection from neighbours.

The MPs say letters exchanged between the relevant bodies show there is no clear, flexible mechanism for handling these requests, which has left files delayed for long periods.

They link the issue to housing pressure and family needs, particularly for lower-income households.

The proposal asks the government, through the Ministry of Municipalities Affairs and Agriculture, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning and other relevant bodies, to agree a single mechanism for reviewing requests to annex unused government land adjoining existing homes.