• There was talk about the Supreme Council of Health’s decision to stop receiving applications for birth certificates at its main offices from February 2. Licensed public and private hospitals will provide the service except in cases of children with temporary residential permit and visitors where SCH will issue certificates upon request from executive and judicial authorities.
• Social media was abuzz with discussions about the Ministry of Municipality and Urban Planning’s decision to allocate 7,782 plots of land for citizens to build homes across the country this year. Citizens welcomed the move but demanded that authorities start providing necessary infrastructure and services in these areas from now.
• There was a suggestion to the Traffic Department to announce through the media speed limits on streets if changed. It was pointed out that drivers are caught unaware over sudden changes in speed limits on some roads and are forced to pay fines.
• Some people demanded that the Ministry of Environment raise awareness as people are damaging greenery and landscapes and litter waste. They said the ministry should install notices in different languages to remind people of their duty to preserve greenery.
• Some legal experts and businessmen demanded that authorities renew rental contracts of shops which end by February 15 to control rentals as the shop owners have no alternatives. They said the government should intervene and prevent landlords from increasing rentals until alternatives are available as rentals are also pushing up inflation.
• Some people urged the managers of malls and commercial centres to allocate parking near the entrances for families instead of reserving the areas for others, because families with children face difficulty in finding parking spaces.
