PHOTO
Abu Dhabi City Municipality – The Abu Dhabi City Municipality (ADM), in cooperation with strategic partners, is continuing its crackdown on illegal accommodation and occupancy of residential units governed by the laws and regulations applicable in Abu Dhabi emirate. Inspection campaigns continued to be run in Abu Dhabi within the geographical confines of the Municipality, targeting residential units, villas, ordinary houses, as well as workers’ outlawed living structures.
These campaigns echo the vision the Department of Municipal Affairs and Transport in Abu Dhabi aimed to provide the highest standards of health and safety in Abu Dhabi and suburbs and nurture a safe and civilized living environment for residents of Abu Dhabi.
Over 60 offences and warnings were issued in 2016, which are fewer in number than those recorded in the previous year 2015, signaling the success of the awareness campaigns in this regard.
The campaigns are carried out in accordance with Law No. (1/2011) governing the occupancy of residential units in Abu Dhabi emirate. Fines slapped on violators, be it landlords, lessors, lessees or other providers of workers’ accommodation ranged from AED10,000 to AED100,000. Recurrent violators are slapped with a fine no less than AED100,000 and no more than AED 200,000. In the above cases, the court may order the removal of the violation at the expense of the offender and the eviction of the residential unit.
To this effect, the Municipality launched a number of inspection & awareness-raising campaigns last year to combat the phenomenon of outlawed accommodation in Wathba, Shamkha, Shawamekh, Shakhboot, Shamkha South, Faya farms, Khatam, New Nahdha, and Nahda Askariyya. The campaigns targeted accommodation of company workers, bachelors, labourers, and families in breach of the occupancy law.
The Municipality also organized an intensive campaign to combat temporary partitions in villas and flats, outlawed appurtenances and improvised additions falling short of the required building stipulations.
The campaign resulted in issuing 16 offences and 19 warnings against offenders falling short of the required building specifications, and found in breach of the urban appearance & tranquility law.
The Municipality also launched an inspection & awareness-raising campaign to combat disorderly buildings, and offences related to congested bachelors & families in Abu Dhabi in a bid to stamp out malpractices in neighborhoods. The campaign was also intended to sensitize the community of the laws governing the occupancy law and the risks ensuing from such malpractices.
The Municipality has posted more than 15 awareness signs at Marina Mall, 32 directional signs at Al Sharq Mall and 12 other directional signs at Al Mushrif Mall to combat the phenomenon of bachelors thronging residential neighborhoods. A mini car was used to raise the awareness about the standards of healthy accommodation conforming to the terms of safety, security and community values.
The awareness campaign also included installing educational and awareness signs on road lampposts, in conjunction with another media campaign launched via social networking sites in order to cover a broader spectrum of community segments. It also aimed to deliver the campaign’s key messages of involving the community in streamlining the occupancy of residential units in accordance with the health, security, and communal stipulations and laws.
The campaign has featured the participation of all external centers including Bateen, Zafarana, Wathba, Musaffah, and Shahama, in addition to all municipal service outlets on offer by strategic partners.
The Municipality has carried out another campaign targeting permanent and temporary worker accommodations in Shahama and suburbs in order to verify compliance with HSE standards and ensure the highest health conditions. 8 offences were issued during the campaign against worker accommodations found in breach of HSE standards, undermining the health and safety of the community.
The Municipality, in collaboration with strategic partners also carried out another campaign in Shahama to curb the phenomenon of disorderly buildings on rooftops where improvised structures were spotted, contravening the health and safety regulations.
The Municipality also carried out an educational campaign targeting owners and managers of permanent and temporary worker accommodations in Shahama in order to enforce the HSE standards and ensure the highest living conditions.
During its crackdown on a number of temporary worker accommodations in Abu Dhabi Island, Wathba and Shamkha, the Municipality called upon all parties overseeing temporary worker accommodations in Abu Dhabi and suburbs to take all precautionary measures. It urged them to abide by the health and safety standards to ensure the safety of workers in situ, and minimize risks they may encounter while performing their duties.
-Ends-
© Press Release 2017
