DUBAI // Municipal officials have launched a media campaign to urge residents to report those housing more than one family or bachelors in their villas.
The campaign, which includes television and radio spots, as well as print advertisements, will remind people that renting out space in villas is a punishable offence. "The radio message has been recorded in Arabic, English and other regional languages such as Urdu," said a spokesman. "It will be played on popular regional radio channels."
In May, the municipality began to evict families sharing villas in the city's Al Rashidiya neighbourhood, claiming that overcrowding was causing environmental and health problems.
The head of the buildings inspection section, Omar Mohammed Abdul Rahman, said authorities had issued more than 1,800 notices and that water and electricity supplies had been cut off to more than 250 villas.
The inspectors are now looking at more affluent areas such as Jumeirah One, Umm Sequiem and Abu Hail, where families are known to share villas. Municipal officials added that the media campaign was launched because families continued to share villas despite repeated warnings.
While some families in districts such as Al Rashidiya have moved out to more affordable areas in Sharjah and Ajman, others continue to live in the same houses.
"We have not yet found an affordable apartment in Dubai," said one man who continues to rent space for his family in a villa in Al Rashidiya. "We are hoping the municipality will give us some more time to move out."
But officials warned that families should move by the deadlines listed on the warnings they received, otherwise their water and electricity would be cut off.
@Email:pmenon@thenational.ae
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Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
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Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
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