A key phase of a BHD 40 million township in Hidd is set to be completed by the end of the year.

Senior Bahrain ministry officials said that this will consist of 12 buildings out of a total of 78, ranging from three to 5 stories high. More than 5,000 laborers are already living in accommodation in the Phase I of the project which houses 13 buildings. It was completed in January last year and consists of 7,000 rooms.

The project is being carried out by the Bahrain Investment Warf Labor Accommodation Company, which started three years ago in an area of 120,000 square meters. It aims to give laborers access to quality accommodation away from residential areas, which has been a major issue for years.

Bahrain's 5 municipal councils have maintained for years that poorer workers often club together to rent properties in residential areas many of which are dilapidated and not equipped to house people in large numbers. They have demanded a law that would lead to the eviction of all labour camps from residential areas.

It was sparked by complaints from Bahraini families across the country who say foreign workers living next to their homes have made their lives a misery. Residents accused expatriate bachelors of being drunk, noisy, harassing women and walking half naked through the streets. They claimed trucks driven by expatriates were also causing traffic problems in narrow residential roads.

Company board member Mr Murad Al Ramadan revealed work on the Phase II had slowed down due to the Phase I not being fully occupied. We still have around 2,000 rooms not occupied, so work on the Phase II had slowed down. The project aims to accommodate the entire market not only Hidd Industrial Area.

Mr Al Ramadan who is also Al Khaleej Development Company deputy chief executive and head of investments, stressed the Phase II would accommodate 3,168 laborers. "Instead of companies building their own accommodation and have them scattered around the country, the project provides a better community and solves the problems' of labourers living in residential areas.

He said that each room will accommodate between two and six laborers, depending on the design and their positions in the workplace. The township will include services for laborers to meet their daily needs such as a medical centre, markets, restaurants and recreational centre, among others.

(Sourced from Trade Arabia News Service)