A GOVERNMENT body could finally settle down in one permanent place after being moved around in rented buildings for nearly a decade.
The Capital Trustees’ Board is set to relocate in October 2024 to the Municipal One Stop Shop in Tubli, which is currently being emptied from employees, following a breakthrough deal with Municipalities and Agriculture Minister Wael Al Mubarak.
The board appointed by His Majesty King Hamad replaced the Manama Municipal Council in December 2014.
The council originally shared offices at the Municipalities and Agriculture Ministry’s municipal complex nearby Bab Al Bahrain until a deal was reached to relocate councillors to a rented building in Bilad Al Qadeem to allow the ministry to expand.
Board members have been situated in the same rented building since 2014, while holding their regular meetings at the ministry, ironically the former location of the original Manama Municipality established in 1919.
“It costs around BD60,000-a-year for renting our current home that we have been in for around a decade,” said board vice-chairwoman Khulood Al Qattan. “This money could be better spent on public projects.
“We need our own premises for much-needed government and municipal service work associated with our status. A deal has been reached with the minister to move us to the Municipal One Stop Shop in Tubli providing we receive the allocated municipal financing from the 2023-2024 National Budget which is expected to be transferred in October this year.
“Work can then take place to make it fit for purpose which would probably take around a year. Hopefully, we should be able to move in by October 2024.
“We want to expand our services offered to the public to meet the growing demand, as well as allow people some comfort when they want to meet with us.
“Even our weekly majlis is being held in a small room and cannot accommodate the number of people coming to see us.”
She stressed that even an 18-month wait would be acceptable once all the agreements were signed to ensure a permanent premises was finally made available and it was something the people of Manama were calling for.
mohammed@gdnmedia.bh
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