Manama : Shaikh Khalid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, Deputy Prime Minister, chaired the 304th meeting of the Ministerial Committee for Development Projects and Infrastructure.
The committee congratulated His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, on the approaching Eid Al Adha, wishing continued progress and prosperity of the Kingdom of Bahrain and for the Arab and Islamic nations.
They also noted the commendation by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and Prime Minister for the efforts of His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, which had a significant impact on the success achieved in the afforestation plan and the Bahrain Mangroves initiative.
The committee expressed appreciation for the efforts of the Kingdom’s defence and security authorities and all relevant entities that contributed to completing maintenance works and containing the damage caused to the facilities of the Gulf Petrochemical Industries Company (GPIC) as a result of the Iranian attacks. The committee also thanked residents living in surrounding areas for their cooperation.
They welcomed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Ministry of Municipalities Affairs & Agriculture and the National Initiative for Agricultural Development (NIAD) to implement training programmes aimed at qualifying entrepreneurs in the agricultural sector.
The committee also commended the joint visit conducted by the Minister of Municipalities Affairs & Agriculture and the Minister of Works to the Manama waterfront development project (King Faisal Corniche – Phase One) to review the progress of work and implementation stages.
They commended the participation of the Minister of Transportation and Telecommunications in the European Union local presidency meeting hosted by the Embassy of the Republic of Cyprus to the Kingdom of Bahrain, including the minister’s presentation on the Kingdom’s efforts to develop infrastructure.
The committee thanked the Ministry of Works on the completion of infrastructure development works in Block 1056 in Zallaq.
They highlighted the importance of the inspection visit conducted by the Minister of Industry and Commerce to a number of major commercial and logistics facilities at Salman Port to review the readiness of infrastructure and operational systems and ensure the smooth flow of goods and supply chain efficiency.
The committee also welcomed the launch by the Survey and Land Registration Bureau (SLRB), the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning of a package of advanced digital government services as part of the government’s continued efforts towards comprehensive digital transformation aimed at simplifying procedures and providing the best services to citizens.
Shaikh Khalid bin Abdullah directed the Ministry of Municipalities Affairs & Agriculture to intensify oversight at parks, public gardens and affiliated facilities to ensure their sustainability and the safety of visitors. He also tasked the Ministry of Works, in coordination with the Electricity and Water Authority (EWA), with identifying areas requiring land levelling and road elevation works in preparation for connecting them to electricity and water networks according to priorities.
The committee then reviewed the items on its agenda, including a proposal to enhance the efficiency and sustainability of the wastewater sector and develop its infrastructure. They approved a plan to develop the legislative, procedural and structural framework of the real estate sector in accordance with Law (27) of 2017 promulgating the Real Estate Sector Regulation Law and its amendments.
They also approved proceeding with measures to assign vehicle parking services to the private sector through management and operation using the latest technical systems and advanced electronic meters to facilitate procedures and improve the quality of services provided to road users.
The committee further reviewed ways to benefit from primary natural resources to ensure their optimal utilisation and improve efficiency in the construction sector.
They reviewed the first-phase plan of the main roads lighting development project in the Kingdom of Bahrain through replacing traditional high-pressure sodium (HPS) lighting with energy-efficient LED lights, given their role in enhancing road safety and achieving financial sustainability and environmental returns. The committee also approved initiating a study for the project’s second phase dedicated to secondary roads lighting.
The committee was also briefed on the latest developments in the executive programme for implementing the Model Unified Data Dictionary for Infrastructure (MUDDI) standard in the Kingdom of Bahrain.
