A councillor is demanding the government set up a separate town for expatriate bachelors in Manama after the alleged kidnap of a Bahraini girl.

Manama councillor Abdulmajeed Al Sebea'a made the call after speaking with the family of the eight-year-old victim, who was targeted as she walked through Adliya last month.

Two Indian labourers allegedly lured her into a labour camp after offering her sweets as she walked home from a cold store.

'Fortunately, the girl's family started looking for her and asked passers-by and the cold store man about her,' said Al Sebea'a.
'They were able to track the bachelors before they did something to the girl.

'Meanwhile the family members called Gudaibiya Police Station and filed a complaint about them. The family is really angry and they are asking us to immediately take action against them.

'I went and checked the accommodation, where 70 bachelors are living in two rooms and using only one toilet, which is really unhygienic.

'We also spoke to the neighbours and they are really upset because of the incident and are demanding the immediate evacuation of bachelors from the area.'

Al Sebea'a suggested similar incidents were inevitable if bachelors were allowed to remain in residential areas. He said a contracting company was known to be renting the one-storey building where the labourers were staying in appalling conditions.

'This is not at all good and we want the government to take severe action,' said Al Sebea'a. 'They are cooking in a temporary kitchen located on the roof of the building.

'There is a small hall outside the two rooms, which had many wooden things plus air-conditioners and bunk beds in it. It's really very dangerous for the tenants as well as the neighbours and they are risking the lives of others as well.'

Al Sebea'a said a report had been submitted to Manama Municipality director-general Yousif Al Ghatam, who will warn the building owner to improve the situation.

He said the alleged kidnapping proved the urgent need to separate bachelors from local residents. 'As they are bachelors, you can expect anything to happen, especially when they are living near families and see women and girls around,' claimed Al Sebea'a.

'It won't be easy to relocate all the bachelors at once, but we can do it step by step. We also have to ensure that all facilities are provided to them.

'For example, a hospital and supermarkets should also be there, so they don't have to come back to other areas where families live.'

The Gulf Daily News reported in December that a five-year plan to reclaim Manama for Bahrainis had been launched.

A coalition comprising Manama MPs and municipal councillors spearheaded the plan, which targeted Ras Ruman, the Manama suq, Hoora and Naim.

It was led by parliament legislative and legal affairs committee chairman Khalil Al Marzooq, who claimed nearly 60 per cent of people living in Manama were expatriate bachelors. - TradeArabia News Service