Land Acquisition Urged for Capital Third Constituency Housing Project

TDT | Manama

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Lawmakers will discuss on Tuesday a proposal calling on the Government to acquire land for a housing project in the Third Constituency of the Capital Governorate, amid claims that residents’ applications have been pending for more than 20 years.

The proposal, submitted by MP Mamdouh Al Saleh, asks the competent authority to secure a site for a new scheme in the constituency, with the aim of easing the backlog under the seniority system used to allocate housing.

Mr Al Saleh cited Law No. (39) of 2009 regarding the Acquisition of Real Estate for Public Benefit, pointing to Article 3, which treats public-benefit works as projects, including housing services projects prepared for citizens on limited incomes and distributed under state supervision in line with applicable laws and decisions.

He said the Third Constituency had seen an accumulation of long-standing housing requests, and argued that a local project would help address the issue in line with the oldest-application-first approach.

In its reply, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning said the purpose of the recommendation was already being met, after it recently acquired a site in the area concerned, in Jidhafs, with a total area of 51,400 square metres.

The ministry said the land was earmarked for a project providing 116 residential plots, with an average plot size of up to 200 square metres, for citizens from the Third Constituency and other constituencies in the Capital Governorate. It added that residents of the Third Constituency had also benefited from other projects.

The Public Utilities and Environment Committee recommended approval of the proposal, with all members present in agreement, citing the public-interest grounds given for the request.