Page 433 - Bahrain Gov Annual Reports (IV)_Neat

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The Municipality also built seven shops on its land adjacent to the vegetable market
costing Rs. 11,900/-. All the seven shops were leased.

The new budget shows a deficit of Rs. 3,470/-. A sum of Rs. 10,000/- has been allocated
to the widening of the main road.

STATEMENT OF REVENUE AND EXPENDITURE, 1371
Revenue Expenditure
House Tax . Rs. 3,782 7 0 Staff Salaries Rs. 6,671 3 2
Shop Tax .. 1,017 10 0 Town Cleaning 7,963 13 0
Government Grant .. 20,000 0 0 Widening Roads 5,518 13 0
Vegetable Market and Rents of Office Expenses 734 13 0
Property 995 6 9 Miscellaneous 1,319 0 0
Building and Masons’ Fees 497 8 0 Pauper Burials 275 0 0
Miscellaneous 134 8 0
Rs. 22,482 10 2
Surplus of Revenue 3,944 13 7
Rs. 26,427 7 9 Rs. 26,427 7 9

RAFAA MUNICIPALITY

A new Municipality was formed during the year to include the two Rafaas, East Rafaa and
WestRafaa. The former is a town of some size inhabited by Arabs most of whom are working
in the oil fields. West Rafaa contains the residence of the Ruler who lives there for about
nine months in the year. Both places are increasing in population. The principal disadvantage
of these towns in the past was the lack of water. East Rafaa was supplied by Ain Hanaini, a
deep well in the valley below the town and West Rafaa contained a few inadequate surface wells.
During the year the Bahrain Petroleum Company provided a water supply with water points
close to the towns which gave an ample supply of water to the people. The Company’s action
has made the Rafaas a more desirable place to live in. This was indicated by the large number
of applications for purchase of building sites at Rafaa which were received by the Government
after the water supply had been installed.

The Municipal Council consists of a small committee of nominated members; later on it
may perhaps be possible for a proportion of the members to be elected by the people but when a
Municipality is first set up it seems usually to be desirable for the Government to nominate the
Council. The preliminary work which was carried out consisted of registering and numbering
houses, assessment of house tax and planning in conjunction with the Land Department, the
lay-out of a residential area on the north of East Rafaa. The little town itself is very congested
and contains no streets, only narrow lanes. Other work which was started by the Municipality
was widening of streets, repairs to Hanaini well and town cleaning. An undesirable feature of
East Rafaa in the past was age-old rubbish heaps on the cliffs on the edge of the town and in
places inside the town. The Municipality began to move these heaps in order to fill in pits
and trenches in the town which had been formed when the people dug mud there for building
their houses.