A rescue plan must be introduced to prevent the Seef becoming overcrowded and congested like other parts of Manama, a top official warned yesterday.

The district must be properly zoned to prevent it from becoming clogged up like Gudaibiya, Hoora and the Diplomatic Area, said Manama Municipal Council vice-chairman and area councilor, Mohammed Mansoor.

He accused government bodies of handing out building permits and licences without proper study of the long-term implications.

Mansoor is worried that with more and more businesses and offices opening in a district unprepared to cater for them, it will become difficult to manage.

"The government is trying to ease congestion in the Diplomatic Area, Hoora and Gudaibiya, but they are not solving anything by having it shifted to the Seef District," he said.

"The district is good hub for development and I am very happy that we are getting huge interest, but the rate at which things are going has meant that planning is needed. Today we have multi-storey buildings, malls, and hotels that all serve the same purposes and businessmen shouldn't mistake my words that some are not needed," he said.

He said it was pointless for the Seef Mall and Bahrain City Centre to sell similar items given the fact that they are just two kilometres apart.

"The question is why malls in the same diameter provide the same services, if we also take into consideration that malls on the opposite road in Sanabis also offer the same," he asked.

Mansoor said there was still time to sort out the Seef area before things got out of control.

"We want a proper division of services that doesn't cluster the same services in one place and that comes through zoning," he said. "The zoning will help divide services and ensure organisation that will lead to less congestion and traffic jams.”

"We don't want people to park on the pavements or the street as seen nearby Almoayyed Tower and this will only come when 'no' is said rather 'yes' to everything without the future taken into consideration.”

"It is worrying me and the residents that the government is silent and not taking any action. The situation could be worse as years pass."

"The government is reclaiming land and allowing businessmen to do the same to help fulfill a development vision, which no one knows about and is even not mentioned in the Economic Vision 2030," he said.

"Reclamation is wrong but it is a completely different issue, but reclaiming without a real idea on the district's view is a bigger wrong,” he added.

"I am planning to take the issue to His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander, to know his idea about what's going on in the district. HRH Prince Salman is a man with a vision and since the government is not giving me their vision, then his vision could be the solution that we are in need of," he said. – TradeArabia News Service