KUWAIT CITY, Aug 5: The Council of Ministers in Kuwait has emphasized the urgency of establishing six labor cities to address the chronic problems in the Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh region, which has become a hotbed of irregularities despite efforts by the Ministry of Interior and other state agencies, reports Al-Qabas daily. The plan aims to evacuate the area, improve infrastructure, and contribute to modifying the demographic composition of the region.

The six labor cities will be located in Al-Subbiya, Al-Salmi Road, North Al- Mutlaa, Kabd, South Sabah Al-Ahmad Residential City and the South Al- Khairan Residential City. The Kuwait Municipality has been tasked with transferring the ownership of the land sites for these labor cities to the Ministry of Finance and the General Residential Care Corporation. This step is seen as crucial for transforming Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh into a model area and solving its issues, which include slums, eroded infrastructure, and encroachments on utilities.

Delayed
A recent government report highlighted that despite the availability of financial resources, the implementation of the Labor Cities plan has been delayed. The Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh area, which houses approximately 266,000 people over 8 square kilometers, has seen its problems worsen due to this delay. Key recommendations to address the situation in Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh include transferring the responsibility for the lands allocated for labor cities to the ministries of Finance and Housing; submitting a detailed report to the Council of Ministers on the procedures and timeline for land transfer; tasking the ministries of Finance and Housing with preparing plans and studies for the labor cities.

This is in addition to providing the Council of Ministers with a comprehensive report on the progress within two months; finding urgent solutions to demographic imbalances; enhancing security and traffic conditions, and addressing existing violations; developing the main and internal road networks, and modernizing infrastructure. Utilizing previously acquired plots 19 and 20 for residential care; tightening security control in cooperation with the Ministry of Interior and other relevant authorities and organizing and urgently developing the infrastructure of the Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh area.

The government report also pointed out that the Expropriation Administration has been waiting for the reconstitution of the Jleeb Valuation Committee since 2022 to provide compensation for expropriated properties. Authorities have renewed their warnings against the area becoming an unregulated settlement with deteriorating infrastructure. The Ministry of Housing is coordinating with Chinese counterparts to establish labor cities in Subbiya and South Jahra. The Ministry of Public Works is also preparing tenders to improve the infrastructure in Jleeb Al- Shuyoukh. The Council of Ministers’ focus on these recommendations and the expedited establishment of labor cities refl ect a strategic approach to resolving the deepseated issues in Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh and improving the living conditions in the region.