Plans to renovate the 40-year-old Manama Central Market are among a number of projects totalling BD1.24 million ($3.2 million) that have been proposed for Bahrain's capital over the next two years.

They were drawn up by the government-run Capital Trustees Authority and submitted yesterday (February 18) to the Capital Trustees Board, which replaced the Manama Municipal Council in December, said a report in the Gulf Daily News (GDN), our sister publication.

A total budget of BD1.683 million ($4.46 million) has been earmarked for the Capital Trustees Board's spending in 2015 and 2016.

It includes BD694,000 this year and BD546,000 next year for new projects; BD180,000 this year and BD200,000 next year for maintenance and BD30,577 this year and BD32,500 next year for contractual obligations.

“The BD1.24 million projects budget that we aim to spend over the two years will cover new centralised air-conditioning at the Lulu Shopping Centre and the retail sections at the Manama Central Market," said Authority markets organisation and maintenance head Rabab Juma.

“It will also cover replacing all stalls at the meat and fish markets, expanding the loading area and rearranging the truck stop section.

“Maintenance will cost BD16,000 for the vegetables and fruits market, BD12,000 for the fish market, BD9,000 for the meat market, the new shops section BD7,000, BD65,000 for Lulu, BD6,000 for the truck stop section, BD15,000 for the administration's offices and BD50,000 miscellaneous.

The allocation covers ventilation, sewage, painting, lighting and installing new signs and fire extinguishers.”

Authority properties and parks director Zuhair Al Dallal said the market had encountered several problems.

“We have not seen new employment, like having a specialised engineer, two maintenance specialists and two market organisation specialists and this has led to delays or low quality work,” he said.

He added a surge in the number of market traders had limited space.

“There is no space for us to store food products that we confiscate from merchants for violations,” said Al Dallal.

“There are water leaks and there are no available diagrams detailing the whereabouts of water and electricity connections.

The spending plans were submitted to the Capital Trustees Board on an urgent basis, with the government currently drawing up its two-year budget for the entire public sector.

However, board chairman Mohammed Al Khozaae demanded time to review the spending proposals.

The Manama Central Market was previously earmarked for a BD200 million redevelopment in August 2011, but a lack of investors meant the project never went ahead.

Contract

Tashgeel for Commercial Buildings Management had been awarded a contract to come up with a new concept for the market, but has since been granted repeated extensions to a one-year deadline.

“That issue with Tashgeel will be dealt as we plan to meet with them on the progress of their work within the coming days,” Al Khozaae told the GDN. 

Meanwhile, the board also approved plans and artists' impressions for a number of projects including monuments, parks and coastal development.

However, the projects will only get the go-ahead if they are included in the national budget draft, which will be referred to parliament by the Cabinet soon.

Among the plans presented by the authority's parks development head Ahmed Shuwaitar were a BD90,000 public square in Adliya set to cover more than 1,200 sq m, the BD120,000 Shaikh Duaij Square in Gudaibiya covering 15,612 sq m and a BD90,000 revamp for Shaikh Salman Square near the Interior Ministry's headquarters in Manama.

Other plans include the creation of a BD250,000 corniche area on the Sitra Causeway and a BD300,000, 4,000 sq m corniche for the adjacent Nabih Saleh within the next 10 months.

Shuwaitar said that other projects were also in the pipeline.

“Nouf Public Park in Hoora will cost BD200,000 and cover 4,4132 sq m, while Al Buwara Public Park also in the same area will cost BD227,878 to cover 3,970 sq m with work taking up to six months and Al Meshal Public Park will cost BD400,000 covering an area of 8,047 sq m, for completion over 10 months,' he said.

“There are also plans for a new dhow monument on Exhibition Road at a cost of BD80,000 with work taking up to six months, while another wall monument will be built in Sanabis at a cost of BD40,000.” - TradeArabia News Service