A detailed master plan for projects in Bahrain up to 2030 will be ready within
two years, it was revealed.

The government has already announced a general master plan based on the Economic Vision 2030, with proposed private and public developments. However, it does not have specific details about the projects, according to MPs.

Consultants will be hired to draw it up through the Tender Board next month.

Until then, reclamation will be suspended in sea land plots starting from Al Sayeh area in Muharraq to the BD1 billion Northern Town, near Budaiya.

The announcements were made following a meeting by the parliamentary probe committee on reclamation to finalise discussions on the issue with the government officials concerned.

The meeting was attended by Municipalities and Agriculture Minister Dr Juma Al Ka’abi, who represented a ministerial committee ordered by His Majesty King Hamad to respond to the parliamentary probe report.

He told MPs yesterday that a ministerial decision on the detailed master plan would be issued within a few days. Probe committee chairman MP Nasser Al Fadhala said that parliament was not happy with the government’s response, which he claimed was vague.

“We only get the reply book on parliament’s recommendations during our meeting with the minister, who most of the time was unaware of what was in it,” he told a Press conference held following the meeting.

“When the new parliament comes to power, it can consider this book as government confession and take action if its promises are not met.”

Committee vice-chairman MP Sayed Jameel Kadhim said that parliament was looking for action not words.

“There is no timeframe in most of the actions the government has promised to take and even assurances that reclamation will end are in some parts of country and not all,” he said.

“Even in the location where reclamation will be banned, nothing will be done since sea land plots are owned by VIPs.

“Until the detailed master plan, which should have been worked on since 2008 when the general master plan was announced, the VIPs will have completely reclaimed their lands and had developments on them.”

Committee secretary MP Ibrahim Busandal said that the government’s claim that fishermen had already been fairly compensated was far from the truth.

“For three years of damages, they got only BD1,000, while their losses are 100 times more than that,” he said.

“A reply from the government also states that developers of new projects have been forced to compensate fishermen, but this is untrue with fishermen’s strikes being the biggest evidence of that.”

Meanwhile, MPs will today discuss two government replies on immoral acts in the country and land grab issues.

The reply on immoral acts will be presented by Interior Minister Shaikh Rashid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa and Culture and Information Minister Shaikha Mai bint Mohammed Al Khalifa.

The land grab reply will be presented by Finance Minister Shaikh Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Khalifa and Justice and Islamic Affairs Minister Shaikh Khalid bin Ali Khalifa.

The replies had been ordered by His Majesty in response to probe reports presented to the government by parliament.-TradeArabia News Service