KUWAIT CITY, Nov 20: The construction market in Kuwait continues to suffer either due to a shortage of construction materials which was the cause of recent rise in prices or shortage of construction workers which is attributed to the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic or cheating, reports Al-Rai daily. The sources added, cheating has been the worst scenario which led to the closure of one-third of the construction materials factories in Kuwait after the Public Authority for Industry (PAI) issued orders to close 15 factories and refer them to the Commercial Prosecution citing commercial fraud. Informed sources told the daily, “the inspection teams from the authority recently carried out an extensive inspection tour of the factories, foremost of which were 48 bricks making factories and after checking found out the samples did not match the specifications.

The result showed 15 factories so far were involved in commercial fraud and that some of them sell to citizens bricks which are not according to specification but contains more sand. The sources pointed out that “the results of the first inspection round concluded that this batch of factories did not comply with the established quality specifications, which required the officials of the Public Authority for Industry (PAI) in accordance with the law to close these factories by an administrative decision as a preliminary procedure, and giving them a specific period to adjust their conditions,” noting that “In the event that they do not comply with the applicable quality standards, the plots of land given to them to conduct business will be withdrawn.” The sources confirmed that “the PAI inspection teams are continuing to monitor and inspect construction materials factories, in a move to control fraud”.