Dubai : Residents in a trendy Jumeirah Beach Residence apartment block say they are fed up with the smell and smoke seeping into their car park, from the Sarai Restaurant - both of which are situated on the ground floor.
People living in the Bahar 4 and 5 apartments say the problems are caused by poor ventilation due to which smoke from food being grilled in the restaurant gets blown into the car park.
Unresolved problem
They say that despite repeated attempts since January to get the problem sorted nothing has happened. Shahid Hussain who lives in the tower said the smoke is "unbearable" at times.
"They do a lot of grilled food, which creates a lot of smoke that then seeps into the car park," he said. "We've tried to speak to the management about the problem, but nothing has been done."
He said residents were "fed up".
"You can see the smoke and it's a lot worse when the restaurant is busy. I've spoken to the manager of the restaurant and he is aware of the issue, but says it is a problem with the ventilation," Hussain said. "A lot of people have complained and I myself have spoken to the building owners to get something done, but nothing has happened."
Hussain said the problem started right after the restaurant opened in January. He said he had spoken with the Sarai management who told him they had complied with regulations from JBR management regarding the type and location of the smoke filters. "He told me there were numerous complaints and Dubai Municipality inspectors had visited them, but didn't issue fines because they had followed the rules from JBR," Hussain said.
Grey matter
Osman Khalid, a 24-year-old IT consultant from Pakistan who has been living in his apartment for three months, said: "The smoke is sometimes a dark grey and fills the air. Even your clothes smell. I've stopped parking on the ground floor now and use the mezzanine floor, but even then, some of it manages to get through."
XPRESS visited the site during the afternoon and evening on Sunday and saw thick smoke fill the car park, accompanied by a strong smell. The evening was noticeably worse.
The management of Sarai did not wish to comment.
