Industrial areas in the south of Bahrain that are already dominated by labour accommodations could be formally reclassified as workers’ towns, under a proposal aimed at ending illegal activities and improving living conditions.
Five MPs, led by area MP Bader Al Tamimi, have submitted a proposal calling for Lahsy (Ras Zuwaid), Askar and surrounding areas to be officially designated for labour accommodation, complete with licensed shops, services and proper planning.
The proposal has been referred to Parliament’s public utilities and environment affairs committee for review, in co-ordination with the Housing and Urban Planning Ministry.
Mr Al Tamimi claimed that the current situation on the ground had become untenable, with workers living far from basic services and illegal businesses filling the vacuum.
“There will be problems when the nearest services and shops are kilometres away,” he said.
He stressed that proper classification would allow the government to regulate the area, attract legitimate investors and curb illegal practices.
“There are many interested investors who want to open labour accommodations there,” Mr Al Tamimi said. “With proper planning, the situation could be resolved.”
Mr Al Tamimi
The proposal comes amidst an intensified crackdown on illegal street vendors operating near labour camps.
Recently, the Southern Municipality and the Southern Governorate Police Directorate raided a makeshift market in Ras Zuwaid (Lahsy), seizing fruit, vegetables and fish being sold illegally. Vehicles used to transport the goods were also confiscated.
However, Mr Al Tamimi warned that sporadic raids were not enough.
“Most of the street sellers flee before inspectors arrive, even if it means leaving behind their items or vehicles,” he said. “It is a network of illegal vendors targeting labour camps that are far away from civilisation. Even if 10 are caught, others take their place in two or three months.”
He called for year-round inspections rather than operations based solely on tip-offs.
“Inspections should be continuous, every week, if not every day,” he added.
“As a senior municipal inspector pointed out in a video from Ras Zuwaid, the food items displayed are unfit for consumption. There has to be a hunt for the criminals behind the supply of such food before it poisons people.”
Southern Municipal Council services and public utilities committee chairman and area councillor Ali Al Shaikh backed the MPs’ proposal, emphasising that planning decisions should be guided by practical realities.
“The area is already dominated by labour accommodations,” he said. “So why not classify it properly for such purposes, with adequate services and licensed shops that meet health and safety standards?”
Councillors have long warned that the absence of authorised facilities has encouraged a range of illicit activities, including illegal barbers, masseurs and unlicensed vendors selling food, clothes and fish. Concerns have also been raised over gambling, alcohol consumption in public and immoral activities, particularly during weekends and public holidays.
Most incidents, according to councillors, occur in constituency eight, which includes Askar, Awali, Ras Zuwaid, northern Alba and parts of Sitra and Ma’ameer industrial zones – areas located far from residential and commercial centres.
“Most of the labourers now live in ‘no man’s land’ without the necessary services,” said Southern Municipal Council chairman Abdulla Abdullatif. “This has fed the appetite of greedy expats who want to make easy money, with no regard for hygiene or public order.”
Mr Abdullatif has also called for surveillance cameras in industrial areas to deter crime and protect law-abiding workers.
The MPs and councillors argue that formally designating labour towns, supported by policing, inspections and licensed services, would restore order, protect public health and ensure dignity for thousands of workers who form the backbone of Bahrain’s industrial sector.
mohammed@gdnmedia.bh
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