Businessmen demand revival of Diraz market
Manama : Businessmen have demanded the revival of business in Diraz and reintegration of the market at the General Assembly meeting of the Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI).
The entry to the Diraz area was closed since last June due to security concerns and afterwards the local residents were only allowed to enter the area. Sales in many shops have been hit following the decision.
“My shop is at the heart of Diraz and it has survived due to the presence of a few customers who stay around. Nobody talks about the key issues; we have suffered heavy losses due to entry restrictions and with days passing by our situation is getting worse,” a beauty salon owner, Zainab Salman told DT News.
“I have a tailoring shop at the main entrance of Diraz but was forced to close the shop as I lost all my customers except local residents. We have requested the BCCI board member to talk to the Ministry of Interior and find a solution to open the entrance to the village,” said Hareema Sultan, who owns a tailoring shop in the market.
“I personally will take an initiative to meet the entrepreneurs in Diraz and listen to their concerns and find out the root cause of the problem. Furthermore I will listen to their suggestions and after a collaborative decision, I will take this matter to the ministry concerned and make sure that it will be solved as immediately as possible,” Meanwhile, BCCI CEO Dr. Khalid Al Ruwaihi who spoke to DT News said.
The other agenda of the meeting included ratification of the minutes of the AGM held on 7th April, 2016, the discussion and approval of the annual report of the Board of Directors on Chamber’s activities in 2016, the discussion and approval of the financial position and the External Auditor’s report for the financial year 2016 and appointment of the External Auditor.
One of the representatives, Jasim was expelled from the assembly meeting for raising questions to the board members on the ratification of the minutes of the annual general meeting held on 7th April 2016.