Government rejects push for more housing in Southern Governorate

TDT | Manama

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Plans to expand housing in the Seventh Constituency of the Southern Governorate have been rejected, with the government insisting its current schemes — taken up by 80 per cent of applicants who moved from waiting lists to housing finance schemes options — are already doing the job.

In a written reply to Parliament, Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, His Excellency Ghanim Al Buainain, said the government had looked at the proposal but saw no need for extra housing in the area.

Existing projects, he said, were already providing homes through public and private efforts.

“The government has reviewed the request and finds that the goals it sets out are already being met through ongoing housing initiatives,” he wrote, pointing to a mix of direct construction, financial support and partnerships with developers as proof.

MPs had pushed for more housing, arguing that demand was outstripping supply.

But the government pushed back, saying that a range of options was already available to those in need.

The housing finance programme, one of the main schemes on offer, has seen 80 per cent of those who moved from traditional waiting lists secure homes through loans rather than relying on statebuilt housing