MANAMA’s iconic Central Market is so badly rundown that an MP wants to demolish it altogether.
Dr Sawsan Kamal has proposed relocating traders to a new site so the current market, which occupies prime real estate in the heart of the capital, can be redeveloped.
She says this will not only benefit merchants, who have long complained about poor conditions, but also pave the way for new investment opportunities and generate revenues for the government.
“The market is in a derelict state and doesn’t reflect what a proper shopping place should be,” said Dr Kamal.
“It doesn’t have proper facilities or air-conditioning and the buildings are in an appalling state, as you might expect from a 46-year-old place that should have gone years ago.
“It should be razed to make way for new investment, reflecting the development of the high-rise buildings around it.”
Her proposal, which has already been presented to parliament, envisages creating a new, state-of-the-art market elsewhere for traders.
“Traders’ affairs have to be taken into account and they have to be relocated somewhere suitable,” she said.
However, she added an alternative would be for the market to remain at the site and be incorporated into any new development.
“It has now been turned into warehouses where large quantities of food are stacked improperly – and a parking space for trucks that stay there on average for a week without moving,” she said.
The fate of the market has long been the subject of debate and in 2013 plans for a BD10 million renovation were announced, but never went ahead.
In 2011 there was talk of a BD200m project at the site, but that also failed to materialise due to a lack of private sector interest.
Previous suggestions for a Manama Central Market revamp have included office and residential towers, shopping outlets, leisure facilities, a five-star hotel and a heritage village.
Location
One of the market’s oldest traders, 80-year-old Ibrahim Al Durazi, welcomed Dr Kamal’s demand for a revamp.
“We will accept if the marketplace gets rebuilt with fully air-conditioned buildings and if a temporary location is provided nearby while work is underway,” he said.
Meanwhile, he argued it was important to retain a central market in Manama – adding that its traders supplied 80pc of the food consumed across Bahrain.
“We could open elsewhere as individual traders, but if that happened the concept of a centralised open market would die and prices would rocket because the basic pillar of competition – supply and demand – is gone,” he added.
He also argued that many shoppers in Bahrain still preferred to shop at the central market, as opposed to air-conditioned hypermarkets.
“We have a bigger range of foodstuffs, whether meat, fish, poultry, vegetables, fruits, spices, herbs and even canned items not available in hypermarkets and supermarkets – and at cheaper prices,” said Mr Al Durazi.
“They (hypermarkets) already buy everything, other than fresh milk, from us and calculate their costs differently.”
In April the GDN reported that cracked streets, water-logged potholes, irregular water supplies and broken lights were just some of the issues facing market traders in Manama.
Others included a lack of customer parking, exposed electrical wires, vandalised sinks, filthy bathrooms and illegal vendors.
However, Capital Trustees Board chairman Saleh Tarradah said the market remained popular despite such conditions.
“Everyone agrees it needs to be rebuilt into something more appealing and appropriate,” he said.
However, he argued it would be better to incorporate the market into any redevelopment of the site.
“Moving it and replacing it with something else is not the right approach in my opinion,” he said.
“A mixture of traditional and new concepts could resolve the market’s problems. It is in a stronger financial state than many other businesses in the country.”
mohammed@gdn.com.bh
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