Sharjah: The rising development projects at Al Nahda are causing residents to lose their sleep.
"The construction noise is very loud and it usually wakes me up early in the morning. I am a light sleeper and I find it very difficult to get some rest at home," said Judy Ann, who started living in the area only a week ago.
The construction of high-rise buildings has turned the neighbourhood into a noisy environment, including the early hours of Friday.
In addition to the noise, families are also upset about the large amount of dust kicked up by the construction activities as well as cement powder that ends up on the balconies and windows.
Residents also have to park their cars dangerously near the under-construction buildings.
"All the vehicles are parked near construction areas because there is place. On many occasions, cars have been damaged because of cement falling on top of them," said Rakesh Misra, a restaurant manager.
"Whenever I visit the restaurant, I always double-park my car in the sand and am constantly worried that it will get damaged. Parking spaces should be made available for the residents and employees working in the neighbourhood shops," said Misra.
Contracting companies attributed their non-stop construction works due to the strict deadline of finishing the project, and said that they have received permission from Sharjah Municipality to work on Fridays.
"We work from 6am to 6pm, but sometimes we are delayed until 10pm. We have a deadline to meet and have to work at all times to complete the job," said Bashar Shanee, branch manager at a construction company.
Sultan Al Mualla, Assistant Director-General of Governmental Projects and General Services Department at Sharjah Municipality, confirmed that construction on Friday is allowed but only between 6am and 10pm.
Gulf News 2008
