Three road projects suspended pending final review

KUWAIT: Recent reports released by the Public Authority for Housing Welfare (PAHW) showed that the cost of new housing projects increased in the new fiscal year to KD 916.6 million compared to KD 911.3 million in the previous year, with a difference of over KD 5 million, which might increase once the authority announces its future plans. The reports also showed that this budget will include 28 main projects including public facility buildings, road projects, various amenities, housing plots and services.

The reports showed that the project of building the infrastructure of 171 housing units of Abu Halifa residential project is complete. The reports also indicated that the cost of the main projects in Jaber Al-Ahmad and Mutlaa cities will increase from KD 336 million to KD 388 million. The housing authority's deputy director for execution Ali Al-Hebail said all public buildings of the Wafra expansion project will be completed by the end of 2018 and handed over to relevant government bodies.

Hebail added that the buildings expected to be completed and handed over by July 2018 include a main mosque and two others, imams' residences, gas outlets, a co-op store and a clinic. Hebail noted that all schools will be handed over to the education ministry by October, adding that some buildings had already been completed. "The Wafra expansion project is going according to schedule and will be completed and handed over by February 2020," he added.

Housing loan

Minister of State for Housing and Minister of State for Services Dr Jenan Boushehri rejected a proposal to grant the housing loan of KD 70,000 to the youngest children of citizens after the death of the father. Responding to the proposal made by MP Askar Al-Enezi, Boushehri stressed that increasing the repairs loan to KD 70,000 for certain people would be unfair, and that putting such a proposal into practice will remarkably increase costs and drain the Credit Bank's capital, and eventually require increasing it. "Such a proposal will negatively affect the bank's capability to cover future obligations," she warned.

Road projects

The Ministry of Public Works suspended three road projects until a final review is done to decide whether to keep or cancel them. Informed sources said the suspended projects include all the main roads and intersections linking Kuwait City to Terminal 2 of Kuwait International Airport, two stretches of the northern regional road and a border control center in Salmi.

Authority's budget

Chairman of the parliamentary budgets and final statements committee Adnan Abdulsamad said the committee met and discussed the 2018-2019 budget of the Public Authority for the Disabled and its final statement for 2016-2017, as well as the Audit Bureau's related remarks. Abdulsamad explained that the total expenditure in the new budget will be KD 224 million and stressed that the finance ministry had reservations concerning including KD 18 million that had been allocated for supporting educational services for the disabled in previous fiscal years in the new budget. He added that the Audit Bureau's remarks include weakness in controlling the payments of tuition fees for the disabled, such as paying KD 828,000 to kindergartens and centers without explaining the details or the documents and receipts proving it. The report also showed that other financial violations were committed by including non-Kuwaitis in various committees and allocating a sum of KD 872,000 for them. The report also detected unlawful payment of over KD 1 million to deceased disabled citizens.

By A Saleh