Scores of tenants in Musheireb area face eviction

SOME 69 shopkeepers and tenants living in 77 flats in a building complex in the Musheireb area are put in a tight corner after they have been given less than 20 days to vacate their premises.

A spokesman for Sheikh Abdullah bin Mohamed bin Jassim al-Thani, the owner of the property, told Gulf Times the tenants needed more time to prepare for the eviction.

On Thursday morning, some 69 shops, mostly hardware stores, and 77 flats at the property, popularly referred to as Titanic Buildings, had eviction notices pasted on their doors notifying occupants to vacate the premises before February 10.

The notice said ‘services’ (a reference to water and electricity) would be cut off on that date.

The eviction is part of the plan to demolish the structures in the Musheireb area, in phases, which will eventually be used by Qatar Foundation.

An official from the Sheikh Abdullah’s office, expressing his dismay at such a short notice period, told Gulf Times: “It is impossible for any trader or family to relocate to a new place in less than two weeks.”

Also, they have yet to be compensated by the Land Acquisition Department of the Urban Planning and Development Authority (UPDA), which is responsible for the acquisition.

Adding to the tenants’ concern, they have been told while making inquiries that the date could not be changed and “the police will be there on February 10 and they will give 15 minutes to those still there to leave”.

When contacted, a UPDA official admitted that the time limit was “unfair”.

“It is really unfortunate that ‘Titanic’ was not notified in a timely manner, while others were notified three to four months ago. It is really unfair,” he said.

“We are not going to disconnect the electric supply until people got their money, though,” he added, while confirming the claim by Sheikh Abdullah’s office that they had not been compensated yet.

While families are looking at whatever options they could explore at such a short time, traders are dumbstruck in the face of the task ahead.

“Finding a shop these days will take at least three to six months,” one trader told Gulf Times.

“Moving the stock will take only a couple of days, but where will they be moved to?” asked another businessman.

A trader, who went to the UPDA, was paid a compensation of QR70,000 for the “fixtures and furniture” that he had installed since moving there and said that he was told that other traders’ money was ready and sitting with the authority as well.

The tenants will not only have to look for alternative accommodation but they also have to pay much more as the rent they have been paying is QR1,800 for a two-bedroom flat since 2000 when the complex was readied. It will be impossible to find a similar flat at that price now.

The shops’ rent was equally cheap at QR2,850. Shiekh Abdullah’s office said all the money was being given away to charity, anyway.