Doha - The services committee at the Qatar Chamber of Commerce and Industry (QCCI) at its meeting yesterday discussed a proposal to build low-cost housing units for low-income expatriates to address the spiralling house rents in Qatar.
The meeting was also attended by two senior officials from the Qatar Investment and Real Estate Company -- Chairman Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Jassim Al Thani and General Manager Mohammed Missned Al Missned
Mohammed bin Ahmed bin Tawar Al Kuwari, head of the services committee, said the problem of rents has become so crucial that it reflects negatively on the national economy and affects the energy and creativity of the expatriate labour force, especially the low-income groups. He called on all Qatari companies working in the field to give their opinion on the issue and expressed QCCI's willingness to discuss all proposals.
Sheikh Khalid said his company was ready to build low-cost houses but the main deterrent is the increasing price of land and building materials in the country, which has led to an increase in the cost of buildings. A square feet of land which was available at QR22 or QR30 few years ago now costs QR300, he noted. He, however, said the company will construct low-cost housing units if the idea is supported by the government.
The meeting also discussed other proposals from members like building a residential city outside Doha like the Industrial City and assigning companies to build low-cost houses on build-operate-transfer (BOT) basis.
Meanwhile, a local Arabic daily reported that negotiations are on with several contracting companies to implement the said proposal including an Indian engineering firm which has constructed a large number of low-cost housing complexes in Mumbai.
© The Peninsula 2005
