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A number of abandoned homes in Bahrain being broken into and used for ‘illicit, immoral and illegal acts’ are set to be bulldozed.
The Works, Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning Ministry has referred cases of around 30 homes it wants demolished across Bahrain’s four governorates to the Public Prosecution over fears that they endanger lives and security.
It comes as councillors suggest that in some case the properties are being used as love nests for courting couples and hideouts for sex predators, drugs and booze dens, as well as storage facilities for stolen goods.
MPs have also revealed that the ministry was currently working on a new set of rules that would force owners of older properties in disarray to demolish them, if they were found to be dangerous, after technical and engineering assessment.
Many of the homes have been left abandoned after the death of their original owners and end up languishing for years in the legal process when inheritance settlements cannot be amicably reached.
Constituency two (Old Muharraq) MP Ibrahim Al Nefaei, whose constituency covers many of the abandoned properties in question, said abandoned homes continue to pose a threat to society.
“Some of them have ended up in an unacceptable shape,” he said.
“They have been abandoned due to inheritance conflicts between family members and are now being used for illicit, immoral and illegal acts.
“The police and municipality step in and seal off the doors and windows using wooden planks – and even brick the entrances up – but the properties continue to be used as hideouts, as criminals always find a way in.
“It is illogical to have policemen and municipal inspectors guarding them round-the-clock because that just spreads panic in the community. The procedure of having them knocked down should be much easier.”
He added that new municipal rules that would force feuding families to knock down the homes are being drawn up unless they were willing to repair or rebuild them should inspections prove them to be dangerous.
Orders
Meanwhile, Southern Municipal Council chairman Bader Al Tamimi said abandoned homes were already being demolished following court orders, but explained it was an ongoing issue.
“Whenever we complete dealing with a batch of abandoned homes, new ones come to the surface,” he said.
“Abandoned homes will continue being an issue as runaway expat workers see them as a haven for their business opportunities, a hideout to sleep in and a storage facility for their stash.
“They also become a place for sexual predators and a free ‘hotel suite’ for consensual sex.”
Northern Municipal Council chairman Ahmed Al Kooheji, however, has voiced concern over the move to demolish the properties.
“Abandoned homes have owners and they could claim that no one has the right to knock down their property because someone else is trespassing and misusing it,” he said.
“The activity in those homes is serious and warrants action but it shouldn’t be a case of going around with Bobcats (bulldozers) until proper assessment from authorities concerned is carried out.
“It is an ongoing issue that needs addressing through proper legislation to avoid it getting out of hand.”
mohammed@gdn.com.bh
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