Bahrain’s Foreign Ministry on Monday said that the government is in talks with the Chinese consortium China Railway Construction Corp (CRCC) to revive work on Bahrain’s metro project, reported local news outlet BNA. The government’s announcement came hours after Bahrain’s National Assembly Speaker Sheikh Salman ibn Hamad al-Khalifa announced the scrapping of a long-awaited USD 400mn metro system project that was originally slated to be launched at the start of the year. The project, which would have connected various districts across Bahrain, including Manama and Jidhafs, was halted following a decision from the Al Khalifa royal family that it would require a substantial contribution from the government to facilitate its implementation. However, when Bahrain’s National Assembly reconvened in January, MPs resolved that the matter of implementing the metro project be referred to the cabinet for consideration. On January 24, Bahrain’s Information Minister Dr Isa Aldakhil announced that Cabinet had opted to “defer a decision to proceed with a specific project in the transport sector, but has left the door open for consideration of it at a later stage.” “At the request of the government, the cabinet will continue to carry out its duty of exploring various viable options for the project,” Aldakhil added. On Monday, he told lawmakers that Bahrain is currently conducting negotiations with the CRCC for the implementation of a project entitled “Bahrain Metro”, which would cost some USD 4.5bn. Aldakhil added that while the project is being carried out as part of an agreement with the CRCC, and despite its significance, no decision has yet been made on its timing. Aldakhil noted that the government will take necessary measures to ensure the swift completion of the work on the project. Aldakhil also announced that he will head a newly formed committee to examine the financial, logistical and technical aspects of a project, to be launched later this month. (Photo courtesy of www.bntv.com) Alcohol not a social stigma in Bahrain Society should be ‘self-sufficient’ with alcohol, says professor Bahrain should be ‘self-sufficient’ in the production of alcoholic beverages, believes a professor who oversees the kingdom’s alcohol production process. “If Bahrain was self-sufficient, then it would not be importing 70% of its alcohol,” Professor Rashid Fakhrawi told The Peninsula on Tuesday. He added that Bahrain does import alcohol but said the country can be self-sufficient in the production of alcoholic beverages if there is a clear policy to do so. The issue of alcoholism in Bahrain came to the fore last year when The Peninsula published articles and reports calling on authorities to take concrete action. “I assure you that there is no such thing as alcoholism in Bahrain,” Fakhrawi said. Fakhrawi, who is also the managing director of the country’s alcohol department, said people drink a lot for many reasons: “It is the spirit of the festival, it is entertainment, it is the culture of drinking – not the culture of binge drinking. “Drinking is a cultural phenomenon.” He added that it is the role of a private businessman to market his products within legal frameworks. When asked how many Bahraini citizens were smokers, Fakhrawi said: “More than 50%. We need to raise the awareness, especially among younger people, about the consequences of smoking.” He reiterated Bahrain’s right to import alcohol if a sufficient quantity of locally produced alcohol cannot be produced. “It is a free market and we can produce local alcoholic beverages.” He added that Bahrain has the lowest rate of alcohol-related road accidents in the GCC region, saying the only alcohol-related statistics that he found were on the Gulf News website. “Our figures are one tenth of the figure shown on your website,” he said. “We need to raise awareness about alcohol, but not to create a social stigma. We are not Saudi Arabia.” About the author Author: The writer is a staff-writer at The Peninsula, under the scope of Media & Communication, General Manager, who graduated with a degree in Business from the University of Plymouth. Share this: This entry was posted on Tuesday, 22 April 2014, 10:17 AM. Newsletter Sign up for our newsletter to receive updates, stories, and promotional information.