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Don't use balconies as storerooms, Sharjah residents warned ahead of inspection

Sharjah - The awareness drive will be followed by a massive crackdown to nail the violators.

Anyone found using their balcony as a storeroom will be slapped with a Dh500 fine, the Sharjah Municipality has warned as it stepped up a community awareness campaign to check the "unaesthetic" practice. The awareness drive will be followed by a massive crackdown to nail the violators.

Thabit Al Taraifi, director-general of Sharjah Municipality, said that the civic body is distributing booklets, brochures and pamphlets to residents to make them aware of the rules against hanging clothes, dumping discarded materials or installing satellite dishes on the balconies.

The municipality also used its social media accounts to convey the message of maintaining the aesthetic appearance of the city.
Intensified inspection
The awareness campaign will be followed by intensified inspection targeting all buildings in residential areas. It has been noticed that many residents are stocking furniture, hanging clothes for drying, storing unused materials and installing dish antennas on balconies of apartments, Al Taraifi pointed out.

He added that the offence of distorting the appearance of the city and causing danger to child's safety in the house could invite a fine of Dh500, which will be doubled in case of non-payment.

Storing unused furniture on balconies could prove to be dangerous as children could step on them and fall, he said. During the last few years, more than 100 children have died after falling from balconies.

The municipality will continue its inspections to ensure that residents are abiding by the regulations. Residents can use balconies for drying clothes, but in a way that they are not visible from outside. Balconies should be kept clean to avoid distortion of the aesthetic appearance of the building.

The municipality also ordered the building managements and owners to impose a ban on circulars that are put up at the entrance of buildings.

Those who violate the rule will have to pay Dh250 as fine and in case of non-payment, it would be doubled to Dh500.

He urged the public to call municipality hotline 993 to report any violation, stressing that the team will immediately transfer the complaint to the department concerned to take an appropriate action.

afkarali@khaleejtimes.com