Kuwait studying plan to provide homes for bachelor workers on sites

KUWAIT CITY: Director General of Kuwait Municipality Ahmad Al-Manfouhi revealed that the Municipality is preparing a study that will allow allocation of land for major government projects-citing the construction of roads, houses and temporary accommodations for employees working on projects, noting such structures will be dismantled at the end of each project, reports Al-Rai daily.

In a statement, Al-Manfouhi indicated the move is in reaction to announcement made by the State Minister for Economic Affairs Maryam Al-Aqeel to look into ideas and alternatives concerning manpower cities, which also consist of temporary houses for manpower. He pointed out that the Municipality has a successful experience in the execution of major development project, which is biofuel project for which land was allocated to build temporary houses to accommodate 25 thousand workers.

Kuwait Municipality has taken major and effective steps towards cabinet’s recommendations concerning the phenomenon of bachelors, and this is through building temporary manpower accommodation and allowing industrial workers to live within industrial plots, he noted.

He revealed that the Municipality is the first government body to implement cabinet’s decision that bans bachelors from living in private residential areas and government’s project that helps in providing necessary land for accommodation near the project site – in the wake of the increasing phenomenon of bachelors living in private residential areas.

Oversight authorities through their field inspections have discovered that a significant number of bachelors are workers of the companies and industries, in violation of the law, hence providing accommodation near the work site will help in reducing such violations. Al-Manfouhi also announced that the Municipality is about to hold coordinating meetings with concerned authorities in a bid to activate Cabinet’s decision in this regard to ensure that companies are implementing the decision amid oversight on every major project, while ensuring workers of such projects are living in temporary accommodations near the project site.