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Contractor ordered to rebuild faulty ceiling

Umm Al Quwain - Staff inspectors and engineers of the UAQ Municipality discovered major technical faults in the ceiling during an inspection campaign.

The Umm Al Quwain (UAQ) Municipality has ordered a contractor here to demolish and rebuild the ceiling of an under construction building in the Suwaihat area.
Staff inspectors and engineers of the civic body here discovered major technical faults in the ceiling during an inspection campaign in the area, according to a senior official.
Mohammed Nasser Subhi, head of buildings and follow-up section in the UAQ municipality, told Khaleej Times that a critical inclination in the ceiling of the building which the contractor was assigned to construct was detected.
"The contractor had placed the ceiling concrete, but had removed the stanchions before the required time period that is 14 days."
Staff inspectors and engineers have collected a sample of the ceiling concrete which proved to be faulty, he added.
Cracks and technical errors were detected as well, Subhi underlined. "As such, the contractor has been ordered to rebuild the ceiling as per the required safety standards," Subhi said, noting that a hefty fine (unidentified) has been slapped on the erring contractor.
Elaborating, he said only one ceiling proved to be faulty in the said building. "The samples collected from other parts of the concrete of other ceilings proved to be in good condition."
Subhi affirmed that the ceiling could not be repaired and therefore has to be rebuilt. "It is not only a part of the ceiling; it is rather the whole ceiling which is full of cracks and is bow-shaped."
Meanwhile, the UAQ Municipality has warned a contractor for failing to abide by working hours at Al Madr area. Residents of the area had repeatedly complained about lot of noise due to construction works in late hours of the night.
A resident Mohammed Hassan told Khaleej Times that he eagerly waited for the weekend so that he could get some respite from the noise due to the construction work in the nearby site either during early morning hours or late night.
Urging the authorities concerned, Ahmed Abdulqader, a resident of Al Madar area, said the contractor gave no heed to young children and sick people staying in the nearby buildings. "They should stop working during late hours and on weekends."
In reply, Subhi said contractors are given one-time exception for concrete works so as not to affect construction works in a negative way. "However, the only permitted working hours are from 6am to 8pm whereas work is prohibited during Fridays for public convenience."
The said contractor has been warned based on the several complaints received, he stated. 'A hefty fine shall be imposed on the erring contractor in case the violation is repeated," Subhi said.
ahmedshaaban@khaleejtimes.com