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Abu Dhabi: Abu Dhabi Municipality plans to build low cost houses for 110,000 bachelors, a senior official said yesterday.
The move is meant to ease the shortage of small flats and maintain privacy of families in the capital, Omar Mohammad Al Hashemi, head of the City Image Management Section at the Abu Dhabi Municipality told Gulf News.
"The project will provide one-bedroom-plus-hall flats to professionals, including doctors, engineers, lawyers, teachers and other university degree holders," he said.
Al Hashemi added that it is proposed that blocks be built in the Old Carpet Market, Baniyas on Abu Dhabi-Al Ain road and Al Shamkah area on the Abu Dhabi-Dubai road.
The plan is yet to be approved by the Abu Dhabi Executive Council.
Up to three persons will be allowed to share accommodation in these flats, according to Al Hashemi.
Hefty fines
He said a law regulating bachelors' housing in Abu Dhabi which is being drafted by the municipality will impose hefty fines on people breaking the law.
Residents contacted by Gulf News said they were priced out of the capital's housing market and many of them were forced to send their families home.
Economists agree there is a need for building low-cost houses, which, they said, will help achieve welfare and can be a stimulant for economic growth and social stability.
Masood S., a resident engineer, praised the Abu Dhabi Municipality's plan as "a life-jacket for residents which should be thrown to drowning singles and families alike."
Danial K., an Indian teacher, asked how a household from around 50 per cent of the population of the UAE which earns an average of Dh5,000 to Dh6,000 a month, can pay for necessities of life such as food, shelter, health and education.
Suhair Mahmoud, a housewife and a long-time resident, said it is not just low-income workers who suffer from the rent increases, it is also the well-paid ones. "Residents, who are not granted company or government-provided accommodation, are bearing the brunt," she said.
Yusra A.T., a receptionist, said the high cost of living is hitting the pockets hard of a majority of residents.
Dr Jay Squalli, professor of economics at Zayed University, said building low-cost houses will put pressure on the currently inflated prices through an increase in the supply of housing.
The plan, he said, will force landlords to lower prices to match the true market price.
Your comments
I am a single white American and have never been considered a "bachelor" in the UAE. This whole concept is ridiculous.
Charles
Dubai,UAE
Posted: July 20, 2007, 14:04
I welcome this new project. It will give our expatriate residents decent housing.
Jaffer
Abu Dhabi,UAE
Posted: July 20, 2007, 09:41
I am a single white American and have never been considered a "bachelor" in the UAE. This whole concept is ridiculous.
Charles
Dubai,UAE
Posted: July 20, 2007, 14:04
I welcome this new project. It will give our expatriate residents decent housing.
Jaffer
Abu Dhabi,UAE
Posted: July 20, 2007, 09:41
I am a single white American and have never been considered a "bachelor" in the UAE. This whole concept is ridiculous.
Charles
Dubai,UAE
Posted: July 20, 2007, 14:04
I welcome this new project. It will give our expatriate residents decent housing.
Jaffer
Abu Dhabi,UAE
Posted: July 20, 2007, 09:41
I am a single white American and have never been considered a "bachelor" in the UAE. This whole concept is ridiculous.
From Charles
Dubai
UAE
Posted: July 20, 2007, 14:04
I welcome this new project. It will give our expatriate residents decent housing.
From jaffer
Abu Dhabi
UAE
Posted: July 20, 2007, 09:41
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