Members of the Central Municipal Council (CMC) are calling for “wider roles” with regards to the handling and reporting of public violations.

This was raised by CMC member Mohamed bin Zafir al-Hajiri during the council’s biweekly session held recently.

Al-Hajiri suggested that executive authorities “should be more open and willing” to work with CMC members, particularly when facilitating “immediate” and proper actions on violations that have been reported by the council.

He also proposed that the higher authorities, particularly the municipalities, should “maintain more interactive co-operation” with the CMC, who are mostly based on the grassroots level.

“We are in a better position in gaining firsthand knowledge of any incident in the grassroots level, which places us in a better position to help improve the living conditions of the people,” al-Hajiri pointed out.

This was echoed by another CMC member, Dr Mohamed al-Meslimani, who proposed that the council should be authorised to file a report when they encounter violations first-hand.

He also suggested that CMC members should be allowed to testify in court and other judicial entities.

But al-Meslimani’s proposal is still the subject of debate among CMC officials, who argued that the duties of a judicial inspector are not within the jurisdiction of the council.

While the CMC is authorised to report violations, al-Meslimani’s proposal was referred to the Ministry of Municipality and Urban Planning (MMUP) for further discussion and resolution.

The council also recommended the regular maintenance of iron bars installed along concrete infrastructures, particularly underpasses and bridges, that are prone to the elements.

The CMC maintained that the iron bars should be coated properly with anti-rust paint.

This, the council added, would prolong the integrity of the metal structures.

During the session, the council elected two members as representatives to the MMUP Committee for the naming of streets and residential areas.

 

 

 

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