Making housing dreams a reality

As Bahrain’s parliament has embarked on a new journey with the naming its first woman speaker, Parliamentarians have come forward voicing in unison that their prime concern will be on eliminating the waiting time on housing lists. The pledges came as the Kingdom elected Fouzia Zainal, who has become only the second woman in the Arab world to hold the position of House speaker, followed by Dr Amal Al Qubaisi in the UAE’s Federal National Council.

Housing issue, as Bahrain’s Parliamentarians suggested, continues to enjoy top concerns among youngster here too as high construction costs and lack of space are forcing them to move above the homes of their parents in search of a private living space. “Families need more space,” Basem al-Malki, a deputy, told Tribune adding: “It is unacceptable for citizens to live in small areas after many years of waiting.” Touching another flaming issue, he told us that when it comes to housing, ‘narrowness’ or lack of space is a grave concern.

“Many citizens are adopting vertical construction or moving above the homes of their parents as the cost of construction has become very high or unaffordable,” Al Malki pointed out. He explained: “Hamad Town, for example, is a residential city, and today the second and third generation, and even the fourth of the city’s population, are waiting for their housing demands.” While acknowledging the number of housing applications received at the Housing Minister as “very large, he assured Tribune: “We will urge the government to expand the housing units through its programme of work.”

When approached, a number of members of the House of Representatives told the Tribune that housing files are on their top priority list. “We will be looking into all laws and projects that would contribute in reducing the waiting period for housing service.” MP Mahmoud al-Bahrani told Tribune that the Council will give prime importance in fulfilling the directives of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince, to distribute 25,000 housing units to the beneficiaries.”

Discussion on the housing file is yet to begin, he said, while confirming that a consensus, however, has been reached to increase the number of units to be distributed during the next four years to 40 thousand.”