TDT | Manama
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Families should not be forced far from their jobs, children’s schools or elderly parents when they receive government land to build a home, MP Dr Muneer Suroor has said.
He called on the Housing and Urban Planning Ministry to give applicants plots in their own districts, or as close as possible, under the ‘Land and Loan’ scheme.
Dr Suroor said location can make a stark difference to family life. Some applicants run shops, work in workshops or tend farms near their homes. Others care for sick parents, while families with children can face the strain of changing schools.
‘I have received calls and met citizens who are waiting to hear from the ministry about the Land and Loan service, asking to receive it in their own areas for practical reasons,’ he said.
He accepted that the amount and spread of state-owned land meant this could not always be done.
‘We know that the stock of land and its geographical spread may not allow plots to be provided to every beneficiary in their own area or village, but we hope the ministry will work towards this as far as possible,’ he said.
Dr Suroor said distance should therefore count when the ministry chooses between applicants for available plots, arguing that keeping families near their home areas would also cut travel costs and ease pressure on household budgets.
He pointed to the Northern Governorate’s Seventh Constituency, saying residents could use government land in the Buri and Janabiya schemes where suitable plots are available, rather than having to move as far as East Sitra City.
‘It would be good for the ministry to offer citizens options under the Land and Loan service within their own areas, or at least in the nearest possible areas,’ he said.
Dr Suroor also welcomed the ministry’s talks with banks over housing finance, saying they could give citizens a wider choice of loans and payment terms.
