A Municipal councillor has proposed that the status of a heritage village in the Northern Governorate be upgraded since it has all the attributes of being classified as a town.
A’ali, spread over an area of approximately 12sqkm, has a population of more than 55,000, eight schools, one university and more than three kindergartens and nurseries.
According to area councillor Hussain Al A’Ali, the village which forms the sixth constituency in the governorate, qualifies to be called a town.
“I proposed changing the name to A’ali Town – and not just A’ali or A’ali village – because the place has all the attributes necessary to be a town and it’s also unique,” he told the GDN.
“A’ali was also chosen to represent Bahrain as a Healthy City and we’re working towards getting that accreditation from the World Health Organisation (WHO).
“A’ali is a town as it has a population of more than 50,000 and its geographical size also allows it to be categorised as such, considering the presence of health centres, government offices and other associations.”
Meanwhile, fellow councillor Dr Sayed Shubbar Al Wedaie, speaking at the weekly Northern Municipal Council meeting, said a name change required extensive study.
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“We shouldn’t just change the status because of a WHO accreditation, as that could apply to even small villages and not necessarily towns,” he said.
“Even other villages have schools and health centres, and A’ali’s population could be less than that of Karranah village which may have fewer blocks but could be more densely populated.”
However, the council approved the proposal which will now be referred to Works, Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning Minister Essam Khalaf for review.
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