Page 129 - Bahrain Gov Annual Reports (IV)_Neat

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MUIIARRAQ MUNICIPALITY
(From the report by Mr. Ibrahim Khalfan, Municipal Secretary.)

Statement of Revenue and Expenditure for year 1368 :—
Revenue Expenditure
Rs. a. p. Rs. a. p.
Administration :
Shop tax 16,836 15 6 Staff Salaries .. 32,101 2 8
I louse tax 26,871 5 o Office expenses.. 4,364 14 o
Government Grant 36,000 o o 'I'rans port 18,106 2 o
Wood, Ghee & Sheep taxes 19.217 2 3 Works :
Share of Vehicle tax .. 10,317 13 o Town cleaning 26,436 5 o
Rent of Municipal Property 10,311 13 4 Town lighting 3,285 9 o
Water rents 1,445 12 o Road repairing 27,879 10 o
Miscellaneous 1,964 13 o Widening roads 4,420 4 o
Slaughter house 582 12 o Pauper burials .. 3.525 3 o
Pedlar tax 191 o o Upkeep of property 155 12 o
Donkey yard 92 7 o Upkeep of public wells 537 *2 o
Deficit.......................... 1,638 12 1 Sanitary inspection 2,475 o o
Rubbish bins, etc. 164 6 o
Miscellaneous .. 2,019 1 6

Total Rs. 1,25,470 9 2 Total Rs. 1,25,470 9 2

Finance.—The total revenue was Rs. 1,23,800, it exceeded the previous year’s revenue by
Rs. 8,000; expenditure however amounted to Rs. 1,25,400, in spite of the efforts of the Municipality to
reduce the expenditure. The additional revenue was mainly from house tax and included some outstanding
payments from the previous year. There were fewer empty houses in Muharraq at the end of the year,
about 200 only being vacant. In Manama almost every habitable house is occupied and many new ones
are being built; no new houses were built in Muharraq during 1368. There appears to be a tendency
for those who can afford it to leave Muharraq and to settle in Manama, where more amenities are available,
such as a town water supply, cinemas and more schools and hospitals. At the end of the year the
Municipality was indebted to the Government to the extent of Rs. 1,18,800. This amount represented
loans which were granted by the Government in the past and during 1368.
Municipal Activities.—Owing to financial reasons the work of the Municipality was restricted to
routine duties, these included town cleaning, road repairs, upkeep of graveyards and supervision of
markets. An important work which was carried out by the Municipality on behalf of the Government
was the building of a low wall, to keep the sea off the Muharraq plain, from Arad Bay to the Cemetery
outside the town of Hedd, a distance of about 5,000 feet. The cost of this was about Rs. 43,000.
It has proved a success and the sea no longer floods this strip of country at high tides. Building work
was also carried out on behalf of the Government in several of the schools in Muharraq and Hedd.

The Council had 16 meetings during the year and there were 22 committee meetings.

HEDD MUNICIPALITY

Hedd is a small town, its population is about 4,000 and it contains few shops and few large houses.
The Municipality confined itself to keeping the town clean, which it did successfully, and to repairing the
main street which runs through this long narrow town. The only major work of importance which was
carried out was the construction of a meat and vegetable market on some open land near the shore which
is now used instead of the insanitary saaf shelters in which food used to be sold.