Yousef Al-Zalzalah and Ali Al-Khamees Yousef Al-Zalzalah and Ali Al-Khamees

KUWAIT: The administrative court adjourned a hearing held yesterday demanding suspending the new petrol prices until the government provides a copy of the decision and whether it has been published in the official gazette. In this regard, lawyer Nawaf Al-Fuzai, who filed the case, argued that petrol belongs to both the state and the people, and that the government is not free do whatever it wants with it.

Freezing prices

Meanwhile, MPs Yousef Al-Zalzalah and Ali Al-Khamees filed two separate inquires addressing Minister of Commerce and Industry Yousuf Al-Ali concerning prices in local markets. In his inquiry, Zalzalah reminded the minister that in a statement he made to KUNA on April 10, 2016, he promised to 'freeze' the prices of goods, services and craftworks, in addition to forming a special committee headed by his assistant undersecretary for commercial control and consumer protection to control prices and conduct checks if prices change. "Why did the minister liberalize the prices of goods and services by issuing his decision number 307/2016, cancelling the previous price freezing one numbered 164/2016?" asked Zalzalah. MP Ali Al-Khamees asked about the duties of the National Committee for Consumer Protection and whether it actually monitors prices in local markets.

Street maintenance

MP Faisal Al-Kandari expressed amazement at the statement made to the media by the Ministry of Public Work's Undersecretary Awatif Al-Ghunaim about not having a budget for road maintenance projects, which indicates the continuation of flying gravel. "Making such an excuse before winter and the rainy season will not stop us from holding the people responsible for this problem accountable," he stressed, rejecting Ghunaim's statements and reminding people of earlier official ones about promising to hold responsible companies and contractors legally accountable. "Ghunaim's statement is a confession that MPW is responsible for the problem and has to compensate all road users for damage the gravel caused to their vehicles," he concluded.

E-files

Head of the medical team accompanying Kuwait's hajj mission Dr Mubarak Al-Ajmi announced launching the e-files system in the mission's clinics and stressed that the system facilitates access to patients' data and health conditions. "The system is linked to the main one in various polyclinics in Kuwait," he added, noting that a visit was made to Makkah's health department to coordinate with it.

By Meshaal Al-Enezi