Property inhabited by 100 workers at Old Airport seized for violations

Law that prohibits workers’ accommodation in family residential areas violated

Published: 21 July 2024

NT Bureau
Doha

Doha Municipality carried out a comprehensive inspection campaign at workers’ accommodations and detected several violations of laws that prohibit workers’ housing within family residential areas and the organization of buildings.

The campaign resulted in the seizure of a property that violated the workers’ housing law in the Old Airport area, and 100 workers were found in the building, where commercial activities and random storage were carried out in violation of laws. Food items prepared in unhygienic conditions were also seized, and the necessary legal measures were taken against the violators, within the framework of preserving the urban landscape of Doha.

Doha Municipality has called upon property owners and tenants to adhere to the planning requirements and approved building permits and not to make any modifications to any property without obtaining the necessary permits from the municipality.

It also called on citizens and residents to cooperate with it by reporting the presence of worker gatherings within family residential areas, by calling the contact number (184) or via the (Aoun) application.

According to the law, it is prohibited for property owners or those entitled to manage them, business owners or their representatives, to rent, lease or allocate places and parts of places of all kinds for the housing of workers’ groups within family residential areas. A decision shall be issued by the Minister of Municipality and Environment to determine what constitutes a workers’ group, family residential areas, and the exceptions thereto.

In the event that there is housing for workers and their gatherings in one of the places or parts of the places, within any of the family residential areas, the competent municipality shall send a written warning to the violator by registered letter, to remove the causes of the violation by evacuating the property of the workers within 30 days from the date of receiving the warning.

If the causes of the violation are not removed within this period, the director of the municipality shall issue a decision to vacate the property administratively.

The person concerned may appeal the eviction decision to the Minister of Municipality and Environment, within a period not exceeding 15 days from the date of notification of the decision by registered letter, and the appeal shall be decided upon within 30 days from the date of its submission. The expiry of this period without a decision being made on the appeal shall be considered an implicit rejection of it.

In the event that the grievance is rejected or not submitted within the specified period, the decision to vacate the property shall be implemented administratively, and the electricity and water supply may be cut off based on the request of the director of the municipality, or force may be used to implement the eviction decision if necessary.

In all cases, the eviction decision may not be implemented before the grievance is decided upon or the period specified for its submission or decision has expired, as the case may be.