MPs in battle to win shores for public

Manama : Bahrain, the island with no public coasts as described by some MPs, may not have completely private coastal projects anymore if the country’s MPs vote for a controversial proposal this Tuesday.

This comes as a parliamentary committee recently approved a bill that instructs to allocate 50 per cent of each private coastal project on the island to serve the public.

Services Committee in the Council of Representatives passed the bill after conducting 24 meetings on a span of three years and despite several reservations from the part of the Government.

The bill stipulates that half of the coastlines of private investment, housing, industrial or commercial projects established on natural or artificial islands in the Kingdom must be developed and open for the public.

According to the five MPs who submitted the bill on April 6, 2015, implementing it would end any monopolisation of coasts on the island and grant citizens and residents the opportunity to enjoy the shorelines of Bahrain.

The first opposing voice to the bill came from the council’s Legislative and Legal Affairs Committee, which stated that the proposed legislation consists of constitutional violations and violates the sanctity of private lands and properties. However, the committee later supported the bill after the necessary amendments were made.