PAI distributes 108 new sites for sand mining and dredging

KUWAIT: Minister of State for Housing Affairs and Minister of State for Services Jenan Bosherhi (right) speaks during a press conference yesterday to announce signing six contracts with a total value of KD 99 million. —Photos by Fouad Al-Shaikh

KUWAIT: The Public Authority for Housing Welfare (PAHW) signed six contracts yesterday with the total value of KD 99 million - four in Mutlaa, one in Sabah Al-Ahmad and one in Abdullah Al-Mubarak - to design, execute, install and maintain four main transformer stations. Minister of State for Housing Affairs and Minister of State for Services Jenan Bosherhi said both the PAHW and qualified companies are committed to building 20 residential buildings including 390 apartments within 730 days, in addition to public service facilities in West Abdullah Al-Mubarak within the same period.

Sand mining

Separately, Director of the Public Authority for Industry (PAI) Abdul Kareem Taqi yesterday announced distributing 108 new sites for sand mining and dredging. Speaking during a press conference held yesterday at PAI headquarters, Taqi said that 30 sites covering a total area of 5,347 sq m were being currently used and that the new ones will cover 4.27 million sq m. Taqi added that the first of the new sites will be in Mutlaa and that more sites will be later available in Wafra, West Kabd, Khairan, Maayem, Abairaq and Sabriya, adding that the new sites' allocation will be for three renewable years upon PAI's approval.

Domestic helpers

The foreign ministry has praised efforts exerted by the domestic labor office owners' union in contacting Asian and African countries to hire domestic helpers, namely female ones, but the union stressed that opening new markets can only be done with support from both the foreign and interior ministries. Union Chairman Khaled Al-Dakhnan made the remarks during a meeting with the Assistant Foreign Minister for Consulate Affairs Sami Al-Hamad. Dakhnan stressed that the meeting was fruitful and that the foreign ministry highly appreciates the union's efforts in reaching out to new sources for domestic helpers as well as working on resolving the problems with countries that had banned their citizens from working in Kuwait.

Private veterinaries

The Public Authority for Agricultural Affairs and Fish Resources (PAAAFR) is currently working on allowing Kuwaiti vets to open their own private evening clinics and operate them, deputy director for animal resources affairs Ali Al-Qattan said. On another concern, Qattan said special chips had been tacked to livestock to identify their actual owners, prevent theft, prevent wasting subsidized fodder and help identify owners in case of accidents.

Offender detained

The public prosecution ordered the detention of a female citizen wanted for insulting a police officer on duty, said security sources, noting that the woman is facing charges of slandering a public servant on duty, unlawfully recording a video and threatening him. In a separate case, the court of misdemeanor yesterday overturned a verdict issued in absentia against six fishermen, fining them KD 500 each for shrimping during the ban, and acquitted them.

By Meshaal Al-Enezi and A Saleh