Sharjah: Bachelors, mainly unskilled workers, living in residential areas have been reduced to more than 40 per cent, according to Sharjah Municipality.
The move follows stringent procedures adopted in this matter, according to a report published by the Arabic Daily Al Khaleej.
The procedures are in line with the instructions received by the municipality to forbid bachelors from taking up residences randomly in residential areas of Sharjah.
Bachelors can only take up residence in commercial areas, away from the houses of citizens and families.
During a recent inspection in residential areas, the municipality found that 45 bachelors were living in an apartment, in a clear violation of the municipality's rules.
Engineer Sultan Abdullah Al Mualla, Director General of Sharjah Municipality, said the municipality is working towards curbing the presence of labourers in areas where families reside. He said the number of labourers living in residential areas is continuously declining, pointing out that this issue is a cause for concern for the privacy and comfort of families.
"The municipality is conducting inspections to identify areas where labourers reside. They mostly reside in areas such as Al Qadsiya, Maysaloon, Al Niba'a and Al Majarra. When the inspectors find bachelors living in the apartments, they ask them to visit the municipality to sort out their situation in a legal manner. After that, water and electricity supply is cut off from the apartment," Al Mualla said.
"Bachelors living in high numbers in residential areas is not a only a matter of concern for families, but also leads to health, environmental and security risks, they also may set up annexes in their place to be able to house a higher number of people," he said.
