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Daily Tribune
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Tribune
MPs demand urgent action over 47,000 long-delayed housing requests across Kingdom
TDT | Manama Parliament yesterday examined a report into yearslong delays in housing, with MPs accusing the ministry of withholding information and ignoring mounting concerns from applicants. The committee behind the inquiry said the Housing Ministry had refused to provide records on how complaints were handled, including those filed by people who have been waiting since 2002. More than 47,000 requests remain unresolved. 'We weren't given any data on the complaints. So how are we supposed to judge if disputes are being dealt with properly or at all?' asked MP Mohammed Al Rifaai. The report raised concerns over 280 cases where usual rules were bypassed. No explanation was given for how these applications were brought forward, or who authorised the decisions. Issue MPs also took issue with the two-year rule requiring applicants to report income changes. They warned that even small pay rises could lead to people losing their place in the queue, despite the rising cost of living. The committee found no evidence that the ministry had taken this into account. The findings described a system still burdened by delays, with no timetable for clearing older cases and no temporary relief for those at the bottom of the list. The committee recommended scrapping the income-check rule, restarting plot services as required under a 2024 law, separating figures for ownership and loan schemes, and removing state-granted land from the final cost of housing units. MPs also called for a clear schedule to finish existing projects and a published plan to bring down the backlog. Al Rifaai criticised the process itself. 'The report was handed to us the day before the session. Three thousand five hundred pages. How are we meant to debate it properly?' he asked. The lawmaker said the committee had only met eight times over four months, and that five of those meetings involved any proper discussion. MP Mohammed Al Balushi argued that the inquiry had led to results. He said the ministry had agreed to rework how Mazaya payments are calculated and was open to raising the income cap for housing support from BD1,200 to BD1,500. 'That's something families will welcome,' he said. Unconvinced Deputy Speaker Abdulnabi Salman remained unconvinced. He said the report simply repeated what the minister had already said and failed to tackle the main issues. 'Where are the answers on the waiting list? What's been done about loan rates? Or land for the Land and Loan scheme?' he asked. Salman also said the committee had overlooked Crown Prince Salman's public instruction to give priority to applications filed before 2004. 'That's exactly what the committee should have been checking,' he said. 'Instead we got a tidy summary of the ministry's own notes.' Pressure Housing Minister, Her Excellency Amna Al Romaihi, defended her ministry's record, saying 10,000 requests had been processed in two years and that new housing projects across the country were helping reduce the pressure. She named developments in Salman, Khalifa, Hidd and Sitra, and said partnerships with the private sector had supported delivery. The Minister added that new financing options had been introduced through the Tas'heel and Mazaya schemes. However, she did not directly address MPs' concerns about missing records, bypassed procedures or the ageing backlog. Despite the differences, MPs from across the chamber appeared to agree that the current system needs clearer rules, steadier planning and an honest look at what has gone wrong.
Daily Tribune
07-04-2025
- Business
- Daily Tribune
MP inquires into idle Waqf buildings amid rental boom
Rental income from Sunni Waqf properties rose by 23 per cent last year to BD5.4 million, according to the Ministry of Justice, Islamic Affairs and Waqf, which has been pressed in Parliament to explain its handling of idle buildings, unpaid rent and slow repairs. The response followed a formal question from MP Mohammed Al Rifaai, who asked for figures on vacant sites, revenue collected, leases in effect, maintenance requests and arrears. His queries focused on properties overseen by the Sunni Waqf Directorate. According to the Ministry, the Directorate manages 465 Waqf properties, including 158 plots. Figure Around 15 per cent are not in use at present. That figure changes from time to time, depending on the type of property and demand in the market. Some land remains undeveloped while awaiting planning decisions. The Ministry said income from leases reached BD5,434,368 in 2024. The rise was put down to firmer oversight and new plans for investment. Rent can now be paid through the BenefitPay app, by cheque or using a payment machine installed inside the Directorate's office. Electronic routes A deal with the SADAD service was struck to open further electronic routes. Where tenants have fallen behind, the Directorate has attempted to settle matters without court action. In some cases, terms were agreed. In others, legal action was taken and rulings issued in favour of the Directorate. Several tenants signed formal agreements to repay what was owed. The Ministry said lease contracts do not expire without action. If both sides agree, the term is renewed. Rent may be revised, depending on the state of the unit, market conditions and the tenant's means. In terms of repairs, the Directorate received 2,768 maintenance requests in 2023 and 2024. It said 2,655 were dealt with, and the remainder are either being handled or waiting for funds. Properties were grouped by the scale of work needed, and repairs were planned in line with that. Where possible, the Directorate has given tenants grace periods in their rent agreements to keep units occupied while work is under way. The Ministry said most evictions were not linked to poor upkeep, but rather to changes in demand or mismatches between rents and market levels. A financial guidebook was drawn up to govern how rent is handled, how buildings are let and how upkeep is managed. Islamic law The Ministry said all of this is done within the bounds of Islamic law and the terms set by donors. It added that the 1985 decree still forms the legal basis for its role. This places both Sunni and Jaafari Waqf councils under the Ministry's watch while allowing each one to run its own properties.
