His Royal Highness Prime Minister Prince Khalifa directed the Ministry of Municipality Affairs to count dilapidated houses and develop a comprehensive plan to renovate them as soon as possible, facilitate the citizens’ transactions and remove obstacles facing them and improve the quality of municipal services so as to appeal to the citizens.
HRH issued this directive as part of his field visits to ministries and government departments, and paid an inspection visit to the Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning Ministry where he met with the Minister Dr. Juma’a bin Ahmed Al Ka’abi, Chairmen of municipal councils and the Ministry’s senior officials.
HRH Premier issued instructions to consolidate food security, ensure the availability and safety of meat and poultry products and provide more land lots required for development and service projects, especially in old and historical areas.
In this regard, HRH Premier stressed that the citizens’ interests and needs should be given top priority by all municipal officials, expressing hope that municipal councils commit to team work so as to optimize achievements and increase services.
HRH Premier emphasised that municipal work should be kept away from polarization and divisions that hinder development efforts, urging the executive bodies to cooperate so as to remove obstacles that delay the completion of projects.
“The government has always tried to develop the cities and villages across the kingdom according to a well-prepared plan that meets the needs of the citizens and suits future expansion and population growth despite the desperate attempts of saboteurs and vandals to disrupt the development and nation-building process through deliberate targeting of some projects and services establishments,” he said.
HRH Prince Khalifa bin Salman urged the Ministry’s senior officials to double their efforts and implement government programmes and projects that upgrade the quality of the services that meet the citizens’ expectations in order to push the comprehensive development process forward and attract more local and foreign investments, pledging that plans to develop and advance the homeland are on the right track and will not be impeded by any obstacles, and that development programmes and projects will cover all the nation.
HRH Premier asserted that the government is determined to overcome all challenges facing efforts to ensure food safety for the citizens, noting that failure to provide some food materials from time to time is being studied and appropriate solutions will be developed.
He invited the concerned sides to come up with initiatives that consolidate food security in Bahrain in the agriculture, livestock and fisheries.
HRH Premier underlined that the citizens’ well-being tops the agenda of the government whose main concern, he explained, is to satisfy the citizens and meet their daily needs, directing the Municipalities Affairs Ministry to tighten control and supervision of imported meat so as to protect the consumers’ health.
He pledged that the government is resolved to take all necessary procedures in order to ensure that the quality of meat and food products meet the health requirements and standards.
Concerning dilapidated houses and old areas, HRH Premier said that the Urban Development Project, endorsed by the government and adopted by the Municipalities Affairs Ministry aims to develop old neighbourhoods through renovating old houses, without affecting their distinctive historical features, expressing strong keenness to ensure the success of the project given its importance in preserving Bahrain’s identity and upgrading the living standards of residents of those villages and old places.
On his part, the Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning Minister Dr. Juma’a bin Ahmed Al Ka’abi said that HRH Premier’s visit is in line with his constant support for municipal work.
“HRH Premier laid the foundation bases for modern municipal work in Bahrain, and thanks to his efforts, it has become an integral part of the comprehensive development march in the kingdom,” he explained.
He added that the Ministry has developed its programmes and projects in coordination with municipal councils and approved an integrated plan of municipal development projects for the years 2013-2014, in line with the directives of HRH Premier to give the citizen-oriented services top priority.