Dubai : A debate is raging over the Mirdif Park which was completed two years ago but has ‘officially' remained shut.
While Dubai Municipality's Public Parks and Horticulture Department which maintains the park with developer Union Properties says the park is yet to be opened officially, residents claim the facility had opened its door to visitors, but was closed due to the menace of rats.
Dubai resident Hana Iskandar, 32, said she used to take her two children to the park but stopped doing so when she noticed huge rats inside. She alleged the park was shut down eight months ago due to the rat problem, which she believed was caused by garbage being dumped at the food court area.
A cleaner, who has been working in the area for two years, alleged that the municipality had used rat poison to kill the rodents but said he did know why the park remained closed.
Maintenance woes
"We were told it's because of maintenance," he said, adding the rats he had encountered were about 10-15cm long.
Ahmad Mohammad Abdul Karim, Director of Public Parks and Horticulture Department at the municipality, however, denied closing the park due to the perceived menace of rats. "People may have been visiting the park, but that doesn't mean it was officially opened," he said.
XPRESS has learnt the delay in opening of the park is due to alleged red tape in the completion of formalities between the municipality and Union Properties.
A senior official at Union Properties, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the park was not yet open as the municipality had requested for additional civic requirements.
He said people used to visit the park earlier but had stopped when the gate was locked and a closure notice posted.
"The park could not be opened without the municipality's final approval, as it will be managed mainly by the municipality," he noted.
Abdul Karim said Union Properties may have posted the closure notice after finding many people visiting the park even before it was officially opened. A meeting with Union Properties to ascertain the readiness of the park is scheduled in two weeks, he added.
