The Northern Municipal Council is seeking greater transparency from the Works Ministry over how infrastructure projects are selected, prioritised, approved and funded across the governorate’s 12 districts.
Vice-chairwoman Zaina Jassim has called for a clear explanation of the criteria used to determine which projects move forward and which remain pending, amid concerns that some proposals can remain unaddressed for years.
She stressed the important statutory role municipal councils play in identifying local needs, proposing projects and co-ordinating with the relevant authorities on their implementation.
“Municipal councils play a pivotal role in identifying citizens’ needs and putting forward development and service projects that respond to the requirements of their different districts,” she said.
“This makes it important to understand the mechanisms and criteria used by the relevant authorities to determine which projects are approved for implementation,” she said.
At the centre of her proposal is the question of what makes one project more urgent than another.
Ms Jassim wants to know whether factors such as population density, the extent of damage, the number of beneficiaries, the level of need, technical considerations and available funding are used to determine priorities.
She is also seeking clarification on who is responsible for ranking projects and how the Works Ministry, the ministerial committee and municipal councils co-ordinate before projects are approved.
The senior councillor representing Northern Governorate constituency seven (Buri, Demistan, Qaraya, Janabiya and parts of Hamala) has asked for the entire process to be explained – from the submission of a municipal proposal to its assessment, approval, inclusion in implementation plans and eventual budget allocation.
She also wants to know what happens when there is not enough money to fund all approved or proposed projects.
“Are they postponed? Are they carried forward? And how are their priorities reassessed in subsequent years? Greater transparency in project selection, approval and budget allocation is important,” Ms Jassim said.
She has also requested figures on the budgets allocated to Works Ministry projects during the previous two financial years and the amounts actually spent.
Another concern is whether municipal councils are receiving enough information to track the progress of the projects they put forward.
Ms Jassim questioned why councils are not routinely provided with formal written updates on approved projects, their rankings and implementation stages, as well as the reasons some projects are delayed, rejected or carried forward.
She also wants more clarity on whether proposals submitted in earlier years continue to be considered when new budgets and implementation plans are prepared.
The proposal also tackles a familiar challenge when several districts seek similar improvements: how are competing projects assessed, and what happens when an urgent need emerges after the annual budget has already been approved?
Temporary road paving has also come under scrutiny.
Ms Jassim is seeking details of the criteria used to determine where temporary paving is carried out, how locations are prioritised and what causes delays in some areas.
The council has directed the questions to Works Minister Ibrahim Al Hawaj, seeking comprehensive answers on project selection and prioritisation, budget allocation, implementation timelines and temporary paving procedures.
“For us, the answers could provide something residents often want most: a clearer explanation of where their requests stand, why they are ranked as they are and when they can realistically expect to see work begin.”
mohammed@gdnmedia.bh
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