By Mohammed Osman
DOHA: Labour accommodations in some areas of the country not meant for domestic workers came under fire by Central Municipal Council (CMC) members yesterday.
The CMC, at its regular session discussed a proposal by Member Fatima Al Kuwari to help enforce a law that prevents workers from living in areas designated for families.
Al Kuwari, who won in the last election represents Al Thumama constituency. Yesterday’s was the fourth session of the CMC. This is the CMC’s fifth term.
Large number of workers live in Al Thumama, which is not allowed to have labour accommodation. But the issue needs to be raised first with the municipality concerned, according to Article No. 22 of the law regulating the function of the CMC.
The municipality concerned needs to survey areas under its jurisdiction to find out the type of single workers living, said Councillor Sheikha Al Jefairi, who represents Al Matar.
The phenomenon is not limited to Thumama, which is a model area. The enforcement of the law banning labour camps in residential areas began in November 2011, and steps have been taken after that, she said.
The law exempts some professions such as doctors, engineers, lawyers and other executive single employees and a municipality needs to find out whether it is applicable to these categories or not.
Al Jefairi said: “CMC Chairman Mohammed Mahmoud Al Shafi has sent a letter to Al Rayyan Municipality about some labour accommodations in the area, and the municipality has replied that after a survey, it found 72 houses inhabited by single workers and it took legal action to evict them,” Al Jefairi said.
The CMC has referred the proposal to its legal committee to decide what should be done as the enforcement of the law began more than four years ago.
The CMC also decided to pass recommendations regarding the issues tabled for discussions, such as recycling of waste, increasing green areas and encroachment on state-owned land.
Al Jefairi told this newspaper that the recommendations urge the Ministry of Municipality and Urban Planning to increase greenery in residential areas and along all roads, including internal ones.
CMC members believe that there is a need for more efforts to raise awareness about the importance of greenery for our health and environment protection and authorities may decide what should be done, she said.
A recommendation has also been made to the Public Works Authority — Ashghal — to include irrigation networks in projects under construction such as highways and not to limit the facility to public parks and certain selected areas.
The Services and Facilities Committee of the CMC recommended that the municipalities must provide special garbage containers for putting each type of waste in separate containers and the recommendation was also passed, said Al Jefairi.
The municipal ministry needs to find means of keeping wastes sorted by obliging all government, public institutions, private sector, educational institutions and commercial areas to do so (sort the waste and dump in special containers provided by the ministry).
The Peninsula
