Dubai: Bachelors residing in about a dozen villas located on Al Bada'a street in Satwa have been served with an eviction notice by Dubai Municipality.
These villas which are located in residential areas are often leased out to companies who turn them into staff accommodation.
Gulf News visited some of the occupants of these villas and learnt that the houses have five or six rooms which are rented and sub-let to families and bachelors.
"We have to vacate as soon as possible. I don't know where to move out. Since the eviction notice was served I have been on the look out to share in any old building in Satwa. I am yet to find one that suits my budget. Currently I pay Dh300 and share a room in a villa with five others," said Asif.
Families spared
An Indian family of three who have been sharing a room for over four years in one of the villas said that they pay Dh2,000 as quarterly rent. They said that they are not worried as the municipality eviction notice does not concern them. "A majority of the villas in these areas are occupied by Indian and Filipino bachelors. The room next to us is occupied by four bachelors."
A senior official from the Dubai Municipality Building Inspection section said that eviction of bachelors from residential areas is an ongoing campaign to maintain a sustainable environment for all residents.
The official said disconnection of the electricity and water follows the eviction notice.
Omar Abdul Rehman, an official from the building inspection section, said: "The companies accommodate their bachelor staff in these villas and they are fully aware that by doing this they are actually violating a municipality regulation."
He said that campaign to evict bachelors from residential areas is also to provide safe and secure environment to the bachelors. "The bachelors live in cramped conditions ... giving rise to safety concerns. It can prove hazardous to the occupants themselves with regard to health and hygiene," said Abdul Rehman.
