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Municipal Authority implements ban of single workers from residential areas

Several villas and apartments that accommodate single workers across the country are now being inspected by authorities, as the law banning labour accommodation in residential areas gets implemented.

The ban is applicable only to workers in the construction and contracting sector. Therefore, landlords are now asking prospective tenants to submit their ID cards as proof of occupation before renting out the premises, so that it can be produced to inspectors during inspection visits.

The landlords have also asked single workers staying in their apartments to conduct themselves appropriately, so as to not invite action from municipal authorities.

For instance, the New Salata area is one such area that has several bachelor accommodations, some of which accommodate construction workers. Therefore, almost all single workers residing in this area have been asked to submit IDs by the authorities.

Several labourers residing in the area have been asked to vacate their houses by the end of this month, following recent visits to the area by the Municipal Inspectors.

Ministry of Municipality and Urban Planning had announced 1st November as the deadline for relocating labour accommodations from residential areas as per the new law.

Several such facilities have already been vacated, but, many others still continue to exist in various parts of the country, which has made the authorities to be more stringent.

There are several other single workers who hold ‘labourer’ visas, but are not working with construction or contracting companies. They are mostly under personal sponsorship, and the authorities are likely to face difficulties in identifying their profession, say community sources. Although the new law is yet to ban all segments of single workers in residential areas, the quality of bachelor accommodations seems to be improving in residential areas now.

Further, the landlords have been emphasizing their single worker tenants to focus on issues such as maintaining cleanliness of houses and surroundings, not to crowd up in front of their houses and cause nuisance to neighbours, keeping the gates closed etc., and to exhibit decent behaviour.

Posted on 23/11/2011