AN infrastructure upgrade in Bahrain’s first government-built town could be put on hold for years, if plans are not finalised soon.
The proposal to expand infrastructure facilities in the 50-year-old Isa Town, tabled by the Southern Municipal Council, has been branded “vague” by Works, Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning Minister Essam Khalaf.
He has demanded a more detailed outline, but this prompted an angry response from chairman Ahmed Al Ansari during the final meeting of the council’s four-year term yesterday.
Mr Al Ansari, who is campaigning for a parliament seat in forthcoming elections, called for the Isa Town development to be listed as a priority in the government’s new four-year action plan, which starts next January.
Otherwise, he said no progress would be made before 2023.
“We don’t want the ministry to plant exotic fruits or eggplants,” he said.
“There is an issue with infrastructure services that needs to be addressed.
“The (minister’s) reply is ludicrous and absurd. It shows the minister either doesn’t want to work on the project, or someone else decided to comment on his behalf.
“In both cases the reply is unacceptable and is a setback.”
Isa Town has a population of around 100,000 and is split between two constituencies in the Southern Governorate.
One councillor, Abdulla Al Qobaisi, was sacked in May last year and never replaced.
The other, Mohammed Al Khal, was absent from yesterday’s meeting due to the death of his father.
In his absence Mr Al Ansari pledged to take the matter up with authorities, saying Isa Town needed an urgent upgrade to cope with an increase in residents.
The town was built in 1968 and is named after the late Amir HH Shaikh Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa.
“Several commercial buildings have been given the go-ahead on private and government property in the past few years, despite the council’s objections due to existing infrastructure problems,” said Mr Al Ansari.
“The government said the town was strong and could hold more people, but there is evidence of huge traffic congestion on all roads in Isa Town, a weak telecoms network, heavy flooding when it rains and a lack of plots for electricity substations.”
mohammed@gdn.com.bh
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