The Ministry of Transport and Communications (MoTC) should introduce new types of roads with special standards and specifications to serve people in desert areas, farmlands and other rural places in the country, the Central Municipal Council (CMC) has recommended. The council has asked the MoTC to take into consideration the rural environment where such roads could be constructed and accordingly prepare suitable designs to maintain the specific surroundings. 
At its meeting on Tuesday, the CMC observed that it wanted residents in desert areas and farms to have better connectivity with key roads in the country in order to make life easier for people there and as well as to encourage investments in such areas. The council also issued recommendations to the Ministry of Municipality and Environment (MME) stressing the need to enhance the relevant procedures in order to prohibit large groups of labourers from living in family residential areas.
The council also asked the MME to study the possibility of linking the building permits and geographical information systems with the authorities involved in the issuance of labour residency permits in the country. Further, it said the MME should maintain active co-ordination with the Ministry of Interior and Ministry of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs to prevent the renewal of residency permits of single expatriate labourers without a proper rental contract for an accommodation located in an area designated for them.
On Tuesday, the CMC concluded all meetings of its fifth session and the next one will take over after the summer vacation. Elections to the sixth CMC session were held recently. On this occasion, CMC chairman Mohamed Hammoud al-Shafi thanked the members for their sincere efforts since the start of the fifth session. They actively participated in the meetings and made positive and constructive recommendations to the entities concerned with the aim of ensuring the development of areas within their constituencies, he noted. The suggestions were mostly met with positive responses, it was observed. 
He also lauded the wise leadership of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and the efforts of all government authorities, stressing how the Qatari society overcame the potential negative impacts of the unjust blockade imposed on the country since June 5, 2017. 
Over the past two years, the CMC has hosted various officials and entities concerned to ensure that the needs of the people would be addressed duly and to discuss plans to attain self-sufficiency in the production of various items. 
He said the council was able to further enhance its relations with different government entities and maintained active communication with them. Further, the general secretariat of the CMC saw significant improvements in its performance throughout the fifth session and the council's internal laws and regulations were amended accordingly to get approval from the Cabinet. 
In addition, there were serious efforts to move the current CMC headquarters to a better location and work is still under way in this regard.
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