DOHA: The Qatar Chamber of Commerce and Industry (QCCI), representative body of the private sector, says it will continue to discuss the issue of high rents of shops in Barwa Village in Al Wakra with the authorities concerned.
Answering questions at the annual general meeting (AGM) of the QCCI before its board elections here on Sunday, QCCI Chairman, Sheikh Khalifa bin Jassem Al Thani, who was later picked the chamber's head for the second term, said the issue would continue to be raised with officials concerned.
About a massive plot of land being requested by businessmen for automobile showrooms for a long time, he said the government had actually allotted the land but the Ministry of Environment did not give its approval.
So talks for a new plot are on with the Ministry of Municipality and Urban Planning, he pointed out.
He said the QCCI will have a new 10-storey headquarters which is at the design stage. Also, the present premises of the Chamber will be expanded and one more floor will be added to it.
Sheikh Khalifa who filed his nomination for the insurance sector was declared elected unopposed, as was his deputy, Mohamed bin Ahmed Tawar Al Kuwari, who represents the agricultural sector.
Addressing the AGM of the Chamber before the election, Sheikh Khalifa recounted his achievements during his four- year term and said the most important development had been that a close rapport had been established between the private sector and the government through the various joint QCCI-ministerial committees.
According to the chairman, a QCCI delegation will be paying visits to Oman, UAE and Kuwait before the end of the year just as it visited Saudi Arabia and Bahrain earlier.
© The Peninsula 2010
