Failaka Island dev on course for execution

Call to cancel allocation of 24 vital govt sites

KUWAIT CITY, Aug 5: Based on directives of the Council of Ministers concerning dealing with buildings that hinder the project for development of the Failaka Island, and its approval during a meeting last month regarding plans for the acquisition of real estates and lands, and abolition of allocation of government sites, Director General of Kuwait Municipality Ahmed AlManfouhi forwarded a letter to the Chairman of Municipal Council Osama Al-Otaibi with the municipality’s technical opinion to cancel the allocation of 24 important government sites on the island, reports Al-Nahar daily.

In his letter, Al-Manfouhi explained that the municipality’s technical opinion recommends that the Municipal Council approves the cancellation of the allocation of the sites listed in the letter as they fall within the scope of the development of Failaka Island. These sites include the police station, the site of an extension unit, Failaka Youth Center, Yarmouk Club, the public latrines site, the air observation site, the primary school site, Failaka health center, Failaka hospital site, courts site, the new site of Failaka cemetery, archaeological site, marine rescue center, automated bakery and parking lot. It also includes renovation of the scientific club site on Failaka Island, Failaka municipality center, Ministry of Interior workers’ housing, technical inspection of Ministry of Interior, secondary school for boys, elementary school, a two-phase Failaka school, the site of Ministry of Information, and the expansion of the central market. Others are the Failaka Cooperative Society, proposed location for Kuwait Finance House, the Bank of Kuwait and Middle East, the events hall, car wash, offices of Ministry of Information, the proposed new industrial zone, the proposed airport, and not yet existing office of a petroleum company.

Al-Manfouhi said the Failaka Island development team was formed in accordance with the Cabinet’s decision No. 538/2016, stressing that the team has studied the island and developed it accordingly.

He stressed that the Council of Ministers has been recommended to cancel the allocation of some unregulated and unused sites.

Al-Manfouhi confirmed that Kuwait Municipality had addressed the concerned parties regarding the decision of the Council of Ministers to cancel the allocation, indicating that a deadline of March 20 was set for their responses. He revealed that a letter has been sent to the Physical Planning Department regarding the cancellation of the allocation of sites, as well as the decisions of the Municipal Council to cancel the unused government sites.

Al-Manfouhi revealed that the report was prepared by the management of the Physical Planning Department and the sites are required not to contradict with any other sites or projects, adding that it also introduces the development of Failaka Island within the structural plan.