Dubai: Residents of Al Nasser Tower in Sharjah that caught fire on October 1 are planning to file a lawsuit against the owner of the building, Gulf News has learnt.
A group of tenants, who have been homeless for almost two weeks now, on Monday approached the Sharjah Public Prosecution, seeking action against their landlord. The prosecution advised the tenants to wait until the forensic investigation is completed.
An official at the Sharjah Public Prosecution told Gulf News: “We received a group of tenants who were seeking to file a lawsuit but we have advised them to come back later as it’s too early to file cases against the landlord as we are still waiting for the results of the forensic tests conducted on the building to ascertain what caused the fire.”
Meanwhile, residents of the tower, who were provided accommodation by Emirates Red Crescent (ERC), were given notice on Sunday to make alternative arrangements until they can go back to their apartments.
More than 250 families were rendered homeless by the fire, out of which ERC provided accommodation to 155 families in 12 hotels, while the rest made their own arrangements.
“We have been asked to vacate hotel rooms provide to us by Red Crescent. We got the notice on Sunday evening to leave by 1pm on Monday, hardly enough time to make alternative arrangements,” said Syed Shihab.
He added that he has a large family, who lived in two apartments in Al Nasser Tower, and looking for a suitable alternative temporarily is not easy.
Several of the families who were asked to vacate the hotel rooms have decided to camp outside Al Nasser Tower “as they have nowhere to go”.
“We were told by the authorities that our accommodation would be taken care of until we can go back to our homes and then we get this notice. Where will we go now? I can’t afford to pay for a furnished apartment, it’s too expensive, so I decided to camp near the building until the building management takes care of our accommodation,” said a tenant who did not wish to be named.
Justifying the notice, Khamis Al Suwaidi, director-general of ERC in Sharjah, told Gulf News that the organisation provided relief and accommodation to 155 families on an emergency basis.
“It has been more than 10 days now since the fire broke out and the residents did not do anything to arrange accommodation for themselves. They relied on the Red Crescent despite most of them having a good income. They do not need help from Red Crescent,” Al Suwaidi said.
He added: “It cost us too much to pay for 155 apartments in 12 hotels, which also included two meals.”
However, he said the charity organisation has received a number of requests from residents for help. “We are studying their request and the condition of the family and whether or not they deserve help.”
He insisted that the Sharjah government will ensure the safety of the residents before they move back to their apartments.
