FAMILIES grieving the loss of their breadwinners could be spared from paying their pending utility bills and municipalities fees following amendments to the law approved by the Northern Municipal Council.
It also aims to include all households that have suffered heartbreaks, as opposed to the original decision to ‘select a few’ families.
The amendments were proposed by council’s technical committee chairman Abdullah Al Qubaisi and unanimously approved by councillors. It will now be referred to Works, Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning Minister Essam Khalaf for review.
“It is a twin blow if families that have lost their breadwinners are asked to clear their unpaid bills,” said Mr Al Qubaisi.
“They should be spared the financial burden.
“The amendment we proposed will cover all families that have lost their breadwinners under specified conditions and it will ease their lives.”
The GDN previously reported that a group of MPs had sought a utility bills reprieve for widows.
They believe that the current system of the Electricity and Water Affairs (EWA) asking widows and children to pay the accumulated bills – sometimes amounting to BD3,000, though over a period of years – was inhumane.
Khalid Bu Onk, spearheading the proposal, stressed that more than 500 families were paying large sums to clear bills that had been left unpaid for years.
“This is an issue that concerns all of Bahrain and not one constituency,” said councillor Zainab Al Durazi.
However, she added that the amendments have to be clear and specific as only the needy should benefit from the move, if approved.
“It is dangerous to exempt every family that has lost a breadwinner,” she said.
“There should be specific conditions for eligibility and the family’s income should be considered.
“We need to be realistic as a blanket exemption could add to the government’s burden.”
EWA Minister Wael Al Mubarak had stated that more than BD128 million was still owed to the authority.
Subsidised Bahraini accounts owed BD45.1m while unsubsidised accounts owed BD38.4m.
The amount due from expatriate households reached BD5.6m and businesses owed BD38.9m.
Meanwhile, the council also approved changing land specifications for multiple plots and properties in Bani Jamra, Salman Town, Karzakan, Al Hajar, Al Hamala and Hamad Town.
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