Satwa photos

Photos of the Satwa area and the demolition are here.

Satwa: The Plan

Thanks to "Concerned Emirati", a section of the plan for "Jumeirah Garden City" is here for you to have a look at. There have been some interesting reactions as people who thought they were "safe" have realised that the canal extension will be going right through their properties.

Satwa: The bland leading the blind

It's never a surprise to learn how little the authorities, in any country, actually know about what's happening in their own community is it? Even so, I was amazed by this next piece which is from the UAE Government's own General Information Authority website:

"New development makes Satwa residents anxious
(At least they got *that* right)

Dubai: Hundreds of anxious Satwa residents fear they may be evicted as their current homes are on the site of a proposed replacement project, Jumeirah Garden City.

One resident, who did not wish to be named, said rents are "ridiculous" in old buildings located in traditionally cheaper areas of neighbouring Karama and Bur Dubai.

Rents for a one-bedroom apartment now range from Dh75,000 to Dh100,000 a year and rent for a two-bedroom range from Dh95,000 to Dh130,000, with no parking facilities or balcony.

In the Barclays Bank building on Bank Street, a two-bedroom apartment is currently available for rent at a massive Dh275,000. This converts to AUD $1,550.33 per week for a flat on a busy, noisy main road.
The usual rental for a house (called a villa in Dubai) is in the region of Dh300,000+. I could be living shore front on Lake Taupo for that!!

End of contract

Affected tenants in Satwa will be given over Dh80,000 per family to help them find new housing." That's odd, some people are being offered only AED40,000 and other tenants have been offered far less.
"According to a source, tenants have until the end of their tenancy contract to leave..."Not true, despite a lease which ends in November, we were given 3 months to get out but have managed to get a further month's extension
"...and they have not been issued with eviction notices."Laughably incorrect, hard to beat the story of the new lease issued with the eviction letter pinned to the front page.

"Nationals without high income who rent in Satwa are being given new housing in the Al Quoz area."

Satwa: There one day, gone the next

The demolition of Satwa is now underway and the latest estimate is that by the time the project is complete up to 100,000 people will have been evicted. There are some photos here. Its all happening very quickly. The process seems to be that a hoarding fence is constructed around the demolition zone, then the bulldozers and trucks move in immediately and the area is flattened within days. Some of the villas that have been flattened were huge and looked quite modern. Demolition of the compound we live in starts 1st July.

Satwa: But wait there's more...

A couple of photos of the local Satwa area taken from our roof



Here's the summary so far:

Late in February the residents of our compound in Satwa, that's 18 villas and 42 apartments in all, received eviction letters giving 3 months notice to vacate. The Rent Tribunal was approached for advice, who said that the current leases had precedence and all tenants should stay put. The Dubai Engineer's Office was then approached and after several visits, the compound residents were granted a further one month's occupancy which was finally confirmed in a letter received by tenants yesterday. We have to be out by 25 June as the Engineers office advises that demolition starts 1 July. Meanwhile, in an example of either complete idiocy or complete dishonesty (and I know which way I'm leaning) the compound landlord is still issuing new 12 month leases to tenants, another just this week. Nothing however tops the story of our next door neighbour who, after handing over his cheques for 12 months rent in advance, was given a new 12 month lease with the eviction letter pinned to the front page. Ethics? What's that?

Due to some wasta* being exercised by one of our well connected neighbours, a further meeting was arranged with the boss of the person we'd been dealing with at the Dubai Engineers Office. The boss, after keeping the tenant reps waiting over 45 minutes, announced that the Satwa project had been divided into sections and then delegated within the Engineers Office and that she had nothing to do with it and the tenants had to deal with her subordinate - the man we've already been dealing with (let's call him 'Engineer Mo'). A typical pointless runaround.

Two weeks ago compound tenants received a letter from the landlord of the compound saying that compensation for tenants would be provided but demanding copies of peoples' work permits which had to be supplied the day after the letter was issued or no compensation would be paid. Not everyone has their passport which contains the work permit as some employers still, illegally, retain their staffs' passports. Those people will, I guess, have missed out.

Meanwhile in a further irritating development, Engineer Mo phoned last night to say that there was nothing further he could do as compensation had been paid to the tenants already. No, Mo! This has not happened and, while its not for me to cast aspersions, but judging purely by our landlord's demonstrated level of honesty to date, I suspect the worst ie, the authorities probably have paid the tenants' compensation, but they've paid it to the landlord and the compensation has not been passed from the landlord to the tenants to whom it is due. Happy to be proved wrong of course.

* clout, connections