Co-ops union decries attempts to undermine its reputation
Kuwait Union of Consumer Co-operative Societies (KUCCS) yesterday issued a statement in which it strongly condemned what it described as attempts to undermine the union’s reputation. The statement also urged the information minister to take proper measures to undo the harm done and warned that the union might take legal action.
A report on Sunday had indicated that the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MCI) recently referred 15 co-op societies to the Public Prosecution over suspicion of manipulating the quantities of subsidized consumer goods. Notably, MCI started using a new system last year by which subsidized goods are only given through the new magnetized civil IDs, which helps having more control over the goods and make sure they were only given to citizens. MCI auditing showed that some branches had been cutting down citizens’ shares of the goods actually given to them, while charging them for the whole share, the report charged.
Mutlaa City
The Mutlaa residents’ committee stressed that the Turkish construction company’s 270 new machinery equipment have been released by the customs department and allowed into Shuwaikh Port pending their transportation to Mutlaa City. The committee added that the second company working on the project will also start working on the site by surveying the land and preparing the laborers’ dormitory.
Cooperation
Kuwait Municipality Director Ahmad Al-Manfouhi described cooperation with the World Bank as a role model to be followed by other ministries and government establishments. Manfouhi stressed keenness on making the World Bank witness the development that Kuwait Municipality is witnessing by putting an end to bureaucracy and red tape.
Further, Manfouhi said that according to the World Bank’s annual report made about business environments in 190 countries, issuing a construction license in Kuwait has become one of the fastest worldwide, as licenses that used to take months to be issued are now issued within 24 hours only.