An official source at the Ministry of Municipality and Environment confirmed, in statements to Arabic daily Arrayah, that the Municipal Affairs Sector, represented by the Municipal Control Departments in all municipalities, has intensified efforts to implement the law.
All municipalities, since the issuance of the ministerial decision, have conducted a comprehensive survey of all areas under them to monitor and identify housing violations, where more than five workers were staying in a building within family housing areas.
The law specified penalties in cases of contravention, which are imprisonment for a period not exceeding six months and a fine not less than QR50,000 and not more than QR100,000 or one of these two penalties. The law allowed the Minister of Municipality and Environment or his representative to resort to reconciliation in exchange for payment of half of the maximum fine or QR50,000.
The law gives the violator a 15-day period after one month from the date of issuing the violation report until a grievance is submitted to the minister’s office. In the event that the grievance is submitted, another 15 days are granted until the grievance is answered, and in the event of non-response and the expiration of the deadline, the eviction decision becomes obligatory and enters into force.
The official source pointed out that some people partition residential villas, which puts pressure on services such as electricity, water, sanitation and other facilities and services, and this causes overcrowding. The law also aims to protect the workers, maintain their safety, and to stop the spread of diseases and epidemics, by limiting the number of workers to five per accommodation.
He stressed that the law prohibiting workers’ housing in family areas prohibits property owners, their managers, business owners, or those who represent them from renting, letting, or allocating places or parts of places of all kinds for groups of workers within the families’ housing areas.
Ministerial Resolution No. (105) of 2020 determining the areas of family housing and what is considered a group of workers, in implementation of the provisions of Law No. (15) of 2010 regarding the prohibition of groups of workers’ housing within the family housing areas amended by Law No. 22 of 2019.
The decision stipulated that the residence of more than five workers in one of the houses within the families’ residential areas is in violation of the provisions of the law.
The decision excluded from its provisions both the housing of female workers, regardless of the nature of their work, as well as the housing of employees in homes and those of similar status such as servants and drivers.
The ministerial decision came within the framework of the ministry’s efforts to preserve the health of workers and limit the concentration of more than five workers in one house, in addition to limiting the phenomenon of unregulated and non-conventional housing that does not meet the specifications of adequate housing for workers.