SUNDAY, MAY 29, 2016 LOCAL

Local Spotlight Delay in projects

By Muna Al-Fuzai

KUWAIT: A municipality inspector checks food items Packs of marijuana busted with a passenger at A firefighter tackles a blaze reported in the basement during one of the tours. International Airport yesterday. of a Maidan Hawally building. [email protected]

he issue of delays in construction projects is Municipality conducts food inspections occupying a great deal of public attention Tbecause these projects are related to their daily By Hanan Al-Saadoun baby boy had no injuries and had not even been named Liquor ‘factory’ busted lives, their country and future. This delay in the com- yet. A case was filed and further investigations are in A place used for brewing liquor was busted in pletion of projects is an unfortunate, dangerous and KUWAIT: Kuwait Municipality launched several inspection progress. Mahboula. Security sources said police found 54 barrels of negative phenomenon, and is becoming a matter of campaigns in Mubarakiya, , Sharq, Granada, liquor, three cartons of yeast, six sugar sacks, a metal barrel concern and criticism by everyone. , Yarmouk and to inspect various co- Vehicle robbed used for evaporation, a cooking gas cylinder and a filter. In an official statement that was published last ops, restaurants and foodstuff outlets. The campaign A citizen reported that his vehicle was stolen and that week, Minister of Social Affairs and Labor and resulted in filing 25 citations for various violations includ- he later saw it parked outside a house in Jahra. Security No injuries in fire Minister of State for Development and Planning Hind ing handling foodstuff without a health certificate, working sources said on checking with the house owner, he denied A fire broke out in a 500-sq-m basement of an 11-storey Al-Subaih said more than 70 percent of the delays in in a restaurant without holding a health license, and lack of knowing anything about it, and called his father to ask him. building in Maidan Hawally that had been used for storing planned development projects were due to the cleanliness. Later, the father arrived with two people - a bedoon and a stationery. Security sources said firemen from Salmiya and executors rather than the monitoring bodies. They Saudi. The sources added that one of the two men tried to Hawally rushed to the scene and managed to evacuate the did not finish the required job. Smuggling foiled flee on foot on seeing the police and hid inside one of the building, ventilate it and control the fire without any casu- The delay in projects is reflecting negatively on An Asian man was arrested on arrival at Kuwait houses, before he was arrested. He admitted to stealing the alties. the people, and creates dependency and poor moti- International Airport with two packages of marijuana hid- vehicle and selling it to the father. vation to accomplish things on an individual level. den inside tamarind bags, said security sources. The man Jet skiers rescued Slow implementation and corruption in develop- was taken to the proper authorities to face charges. Contrabands caught Salmiya marine rescue spotted two jet skis flipped over ment and construction projects, infrastructure, hous- A 23-year-old female citizen was arrested with 18 illicit and two people trying to swim to shore. Security sources ing and cities, roads and bridges in the country over Dead baby pills, said security sources, noting that the suspect was also said divers rescued the two and towed the jet skis, before the past years because of obstacles has led to under- A 25-day-old baby died at KOC Hospital after it was tak- under the effect of drugs. they were dispatched to rescue a third skier who suffered a mining our business reputation. There are many en there unconscious, said security sources, noting that the similar mishap in a different spot. examples, such as Jaber Hospital and the metro proj- ect, and even the maintenance of bridges. The resentment of citizens is logical because they have not seen any grand projects or real develop- ments despite the financial surpluses achieved by Kuwait in the years that witnessed rises in oil prices. It is been a decade without the completion of the university in Shadadiya, which still needs additional years to be ready, if it survives the annual fires. The project has turned into a joke. In her press conference, Subaih explained that some projects faced problems because no lands were allocated for it. So it was decided that no future projects would be included in Kuwait’s development plans until land is allocated. She also explained that some projects have been delayed for more than 15 years due to changes in budgets, conditions or other basic elements. She commented on the issue of accountability of those who are responsible for the delays, saying it is the minister’s task to report to the Cabinet in order to take proper measures against them. Delays in the completion of projects creates multiple problems in the community, because a delay in the completion of a residential city will cause problems for those waiting to get housing, and will add extra pressure on a family that will have to stay longer in rented flats. Delays in the completion of roads may cause problems for motorists and lead to traffic jams. There have been multiple studies on the reasons for delays in the completion of major projects. Contractors are the main reason for the delay, along with the failure of planning and construction pro- grams. Ambiguity in the goals of many construction projects in terms of quality, cost and time is also part of the main reasons causing the delay. KUWAIT: Environment police, Environment Public Authority (EPA) and municipality inspectors yesterday raided a sheep pen in Rai that was used as a slaughterhouse without Kuwait needs foreign technology and needs to a license. Officials said following the operation that the pen’s owner was going to be summoned for questioning. — Photos By Fouad Al-Shaikh attract investment companies, but this cannot be done without the provision of facilities to get visas, serious implementation of laws and fighting corrup- tion and bribery. Otherwise, the future will not be as bright as some believe. MPs condemn Govt’s lack of vision on Silk City By A Saleh

KUWAIT: The parliament’s public facilities committee is due to discuss a proposal to establish a public authority for Silk City and Boubyan Island in a meeting today. Informed parliamentary sources said MPs were dissatisfied with the government’s lack of vision about the Silk City project and stressed that the bill would not be passed this term because the government still needs to provide the com- mittee with more information about the project.

Bills to be debated MP Faisal Al-Shaye stressed that a number of bills were expected to be passed before the end of the National Assembly’s 14th legislative term, including those on public tenders, regulating the profession of pharmacists, amending the real estate registry law and the parliamentary elections law.

Violations Kuwait Municipality Director Ahmed Al-Manfouhi is due to preside a meeting of heads of municipal sectors next week to discuss preparations to combat and end violations. KRCS to provide iftar meals to Syrian families in Lebanon

BEIRUT: Kuwait Red Crescent Society (KRCS) announced yesterday that it would distribute iftar (breaking-fast) meals to about 30,000 Syrian refugee families across Lebanon during the holy month of Ramadan, which falls in June. Concluding a delegation’s visit to Lebanon, KRCS’ head Dr Hilal Al-Sayer said in a statement that the society would also hand out clothes of Eid Al-Fitr to more than 2,000 Syrian refugee families in Lebanon. KRCS organizes these campaigns for the fourth year in a row, he said, adding that they are seeking to improve stan- dards of living of Syrian families suffering from tough con- ditions. The aid is part of the directives of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the Humanitarian Leader, aiming to support Syrian people, he noted. Sayer reiterated Kuwait’s keenness to constantly provide such a humanitarian aid to Syrian refugees. He pointed out that the delegation’s visit was successful, indi- cating that a deal was signed with International Committee of the Red Cross to treat and rehabilitate amputees, and KUWAIT: The Environmental Police carried out an inspection tour at the coastline in Khairan and Sabah Al-Ahmad Sea City yesterday, in cooperation with the Environment another one was inked with Qatar Red Crescent Society for Public Authority (EPA). It came to inspect constructions’ compliance with the environmental impact assessment (EIA) system. The officers also checked over individuals’ com- treating premature babies. Kuwait is a major country sup- mitment to protecting the environment, as well as their compliance with the CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) porting Syrian refugees in a number of countries, mainly agreement that Kuwait signed. Lebanon, since the outbreak of the crisis. — KUNA