KUWAIT CITY, July 25: A recent report from the Committee for Inventorying Unutilized Lands, Buildings, and Leased Sites, affiliated with government agencies, has uncovered alarming figures. According to the initial findings, 30 out of 55 entities possess unutilized lands and buildings, while 35 own leased sites. The total value of building lease contracts with these entities amounts to approximately 31 million dinars.

According to the key findings, the report indicates that 344 plots of land and 161 buildings inside Kuwait remain unused. Additionally, there are 8 unused plots abroad and 2 buildings outside Kuwait owned by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The top offenders, according to the report are the Ministry of Electricity which leads with 117 unused plots, followed by the Ministry of Interior with 54, and the Ministry of Public Works with 45. In terms of buildings, the Ministry of Information tops the list with 147 unused structures.

Moreover, the daily added, 14 government entities did not provide the required data, including the Public Authority for Industry and the Ministry of Education. Given this situation, the Kuwait Municipality has been advised to reclaim unutilized lands that have exceeded the municipal decision’s time frame. The report said unused buildings should be reallocated to other government agencies or transferred to the Kuwait Municipality if not needed.

A centralized GIS system is recommended to manage detailed data on all government-owned lands and buildings. This is in addition to new regulations to control rental practices from the private sector and set maximum rental periods. Procedures should also be established for disposing of unused lands and buildings outside Kuwait.