Massive buildings that cost govt millions of dinar left in ‘disuse’

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Warnings against wastage unheeded

KUWAIT CITY, July 16: Amid warnings against wastage and the belt-tightening policy, several massive buildings that cost the government millions of dinars are deserted without internal or external activities. Those buildings are still waiting for employees and visitors to open their doors before they become dilapidated or a technical report declares them unfit for use, reports Al-Rai daily.

Al-Rai Newspaper moved around some government buildings and facilities at various locations in the country and found out that many of the buildings are lying fallow without use, regardless of the huge sums spent in constructing them.

Investigation revealed that the buildings have not been used following suspension of the handing over procedures for some reasons, while many of them have been deserted for several years in a way that exposes them to vandalism and looting. One of the buildings is a multi-storey car park constructed for employees of the Government and Manpower Restructuring Project.

The structure sitting on 8,295 square/meters area can conveniently accommodate 1,300 cars and serve 600 employees plus 300 visitors. The park is so expansive that it can serve a nearby school as well. Another building belonging to Farwaniya Residence Affairs Department next to the Government and Manpower Restructuring Project’s car park was constructed to serve the Ministry of Interior. The project was executed in 2016 but it remains under lock and key until now, while visitors are forced to carry out their transactions at Dhajeej where citizens and expatriates face a hard time conducting transactions due to congestion, in spite of the new building having been furnished and ready for use.

The third building, which was completed in 2013, belongs to the Food and Nutrition Department affiliated to the Ministry of Health at Sabah Health Region. The edifice, which cost KD 6 million, has yet to be connected to power. Untouched for five years, the building has lost its essence and remains secluded. One of the buildings within the premises of South Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh Clinic was meant to serve pregnant women but officials declared it unsuitable for pregnant women after the furnishing, because it has staircase.

The structure, which cost the government over KD 3 million has since been abandoned and wearing down to the point of destruction. The abandoned structures include the General Customs Administration building that has been forsaken for 33 years and stands among other structures in Shuwaikh like a ghost.

The government decided to construct a separate building for the General Customs Administration in 1985 and contract was duly awarded in that regard. The administration took delivery of the project after execution, but a report submitted by Kuwait Institute of Scientific Research with affirmation by the Ministry of Public Works and Kuwait University declared it ‘unfit for use and prone to collapse’.

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