Plans are underway to question Municipalities and Urban Planning Affairs Minister Dr Juma Al Ka'abi in parliament over alleged administrative and financial irregularities.

MPs representing Al Asala and independent blocs will within days submit a request to parliament chairman Khalifa Al Dhahrani as they want Dr Al Ka'abi summoned in October when parliament reconvenes.

They want Dr Al Ka'abi to answer allegations over his insistence to deny problems and wrongdoings taking place in his ministry without taking any concrete steps to find real solutions in the past three years.

"We have compiled a huge file with evidence on the minister who failed to fulfil his duties during his tenure in the post for the past three years," said Al Asala MP Adnan Al Malky, who is spearheading the lobby to question the minister.

"The minister left conditions to deteriorate rather than help out in the disastrous situation that the former minister had left the ministry," he said.

"We have warned him several times and reasoned with him, but unfortunately there were no signs of change and this gave us no choice but to have him questioned."

Al Malky said that the ministry had now turned into a 'swamp of corruption' beyond repair.

"The minister has been under pressure from a political society, who has a large number of employees working in senior posts there and has handed them needle and the thread to do whatever they want," he said.

"Those senior officials only present the names of their fellow society members for promotion and the minister agrees without hesitation to ensure that he is not put under further pressure."

Al Malky said that promotions in the ministry were approved unrealistically for some employees.

"Corruption didn't stop there as certain employees were getting their relatives to win tenders that don't necessarily have to go to the Tender Board," he said.

Al Malky said that another case included in the file was the minister's silence over his employees' participations in the GCC (Pearl) Roundabout demonstrations without taking any action.

"Most of those employees going to the roundabout are still at work without being suspended or any action taken against them," he said.

Al Malky said that the questioning would also focus on His Majesty King Hamad's Scheme for Dilapidated Homes, which he claimed had huge irregularities.

"Homes are being built without proper construction specifications being followed and undeserving people are being included," he said.

"This is in addition to administrative and financial violations that involve mismanagement."

Dr Al Ka'abi was unavailable for comment yesterday.-TradeArabia News Service