Low Cost Housing

Letter to the editor-Khaleej Times

3 August 2009

I refer to the news, ‘Abu Dhabi Mulls Crackdown on Crowded Residences,’ (KT, August 1). I agree that messy accommodation poses a severe risk to individuals.

While the Municipal Affairs Department in Abu Dhabi is planning intensive crackdowns to fight the haphazard accommodation across the emirate, do we have a solution? Today, there is an acute shortage of housing in the emirate of Abu Dhabi. While evacuating people from ‘messy accommodation’ the demand for new houses will increase.

Majority of the people living in Abu Dhabi draw a salary of less than Dh5,000. The rent for a one bedroom apartment in Abu Dhabi is not less than Dh60,000. So, how will a person support his family? How will expatriates maintain the standard of accommodation authorities visualise?

Without sufficient low cost housing, implementing such a regulation will not
 be practical. It will make life miserable for thousands of expartiates. An urgent action plan to build sufficient low cost houses for the low income category of expatriate workers is the need of the hour.



-KV Shamsudheen, sharjah