Parl't approves new municipality bill, refers it to gov't

KUWAIT, June 13 (KUNA) -- The National Assembly on Monday approved in a second reading a draft bill amending the Municipality Law 5/2005, and referred it to the government.
The amendments aim to cope with developments in the Kuwait Municipality tasks, the nature of services it offers, and the increase in population, both citizens and expats, said an explanatory note by the parliamentary public utilities committee.
It added that these legislative requirements aim to support the Municipality to counter the problems it is facing, referring to trouble arising from the present law.
The note stated that the variation of municipality services, through the Municipality Council and its executive body, has led to overlapping in certain decisions, as well as long duration of procedures.
The new bill has been designed for "a comprehensive and integrated organization of the (Kuwait) Municipality, based on dissolving the overlapping in domains with other bodies.
According to the committee report, the new bill comes in four chapters, including 53 articles, while the present one consist of only 42 articles.
Meanwhile, the Assembly approved to amend Article 2, so it provides that the Kuwait Municipality is "an independent public authority based in Kuwait City, consisting of the Municipality Council and its executive body, with a juridical person, and to under supervision of the minister." (Minister of State for Municipal Affairs and Minister of Communication." The first item in Article four of the new bill provides that the Council will have ten elected members.
Article 21 identifies domains of the Municipal Council, and transferring some powers from the Kuwait Municipality to other bodies with reference.
According to Article 29 of the new bill, the Municipal Council could be dissolved by a causative decree, and in this case the cabinet forms a committee to take over its duties. Once a new council is formed, the resolutions taken by the committee are to be submitted to it a fortnight after the latter holds its first meeting. (end) sss.hrz.tb.msa