Villagers hit by blast to be compensated

Manama : The Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister HRH Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa yesterday instructed to address the needs of the residents of Buri village affected by Friday’s pipeline explosion.

The instructions came while the Crown Prince chaired the 18th meeting of the Supreme Council for Natural Resources and Economic Security. During the meeting the Crown Prince affirmed that citizens’ safety is a national priority. He was briefed by Interior Minister Lieutenant General Shaikh Rashid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa and Oil Minister Shaikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Khalifa on the terror attack that targeted the pipeline which connects Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.

The Northern Governorate also held a meeting with the parties yesterday to speed up the compensation procedures of the affected residents.In the meeting, a report on the conditions of the affected residents were reviewed. A plan to compensate the owners of 19 houses that were affected by the heat and oil drips was also discussed.

Governor of the Northern Governorate Ali Al Asfoor stated that the governorate is following up on the conditions of the residents who were sheltered by government houses and shelters under the supervision of Labour and Social Development Ministry.

In a related development, the area’s representative MP Majid Al Majid demanded to relocate the oil pipelines near the village considering threat to residents and health. “The mishap was an eye-opener to the danger of the oil pipelines on the residents of Buri and Suq Waqif area” demanding the authority to “seriously consider relocating the pipelines,” Al Majid said.