Dubai: An Indian family of four has been rendered homeless after being evicted from a shared accommodation over unpaid rent in Bur Dubai last week.
Bhanu Shankar, 52, told XPRESS that they spent a night under the stairway of the building from which they were evicted before a kind-hearted resident allowed them to occupy a room in the neighbourhood till such time they could make other arrangements.
“Our lives are on the brink and we are desperate,” said Shankar.
At stake
A former consultant in the construction sector who first came to Dubai in 1993, he said: “I am jobless, my wife is ailing from an auto-immune disorder and the future of our two teenaged sons is at stake. My elder son, who completed his Grade 12, has been sitting at home for over a year because I cannot get him admission in any school. My second son has just been promoted to Grade 10, thanks to well-wishers who have been paying his school fees.”
He said: “We were evicted from an earlier apartment in April last year too. I could not send my family back home as I had kept their passports as security with the previous apartment. I could not leave either as I had no way of repaying my loans as I had no income. Somehow we carried on with our lives with help from well-wishers.”
Shankar said, “It is a hopeless situation this time. I am really ashamed of myself and am trying hard to overcome the crisis. But all roads seem to be blocked.”
He said his wife suffers from a connective tissue disorder called systemic lupus erythmatosis and requires strong medication. “She needs to take nine different tablets everyday and one of them costs Dh48. Thankfully, friends have been helping out and getting the medicines for her from India. A welfare organisation and staff of a local clinic have also been reaching out to us. But how long can this go on? Please help us find a way out. ”
Social worker C.P. Mathew said: “The family is in a very bad shape. They have to depend on someone even for daily bread. They urgently need help on humanitarian grounds.”
If you wish to help Shankar write to editor@xpress4me.com
