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29 March 2024

No fines help International City, Gardens residents to ignore rules

Published
By Parag Deulgaonkar

“Fines? What fines? We haven’t got one or haven’t ever heard of anyone being fined in Discovery Gardens,” says PK, a housewife, who has been staying in Discovery Gardens for the past three years.

The fines she refers to above are the ones that Trakhees, the organisational arm of the Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation, was to start issuing from March for violating their community rules and regulations.

[Click here to know more about fines for smoking in Discovery corridors]

What are these rules?

Residents have been asked not to fix satellite dishes on the facades or balconies of their buildings. Also, they are not to use balconies as places of storage for any purpose other than seasonal furniture pieces. There is to be no hanging of sheets, clothes or curtains or rugs or mops or laundry on balconies or railings of homes and residents were warned not to have barbecues in their balconies.

An awareness campaign was started in October 2011 with flyers and posters being issued in Arabic, English, Hindi, Urdu and Chinese. The fine for each offence is Dh500.

[Click here to read how your dish could get your fines]

There are numerous cases of violation in International City and Discovery Gardens.

A number of residents living in the Palm Shoreline apartments have installed dish antennas on their balconies.

Trakhees says it has not issued any fines on violators so far.

The authority supervises communities such as Palm Jumeirah, Jumeirah Lakes Tower, International City, Discovery Gardens, Jumeirah Heights, Jumeirah Village and Jebel Ali Downtown among others.

“Trakhees is not currently imposing fines on violators of the mentioned rule.However, we are keen to always remind the residents to keep the building facades clean and presentable by sending out flyers to the community residents,” the company said in a statement sent to Emirates 24|7.

[Click here to read how hanging clothes in balconies could prove costly]

Once again, flyers are being distributed, informing residents not to dry their laundry in their balconies or install those dish antennas on the façade on their buildings.

“Who cares! we dry your laundry outside our window,” says AM, who gave her initials.She has been staying in International City for the past two years. “There have been posters from Trakhees in our lobby for months which asks residents to follow community rules. Flyers too are distributed often, but we aren’t bothered.”

SH, a resident of Discovery Gardens, says: “When I moved in DG, we hardly saw any dish antennas. “Now, the place is exactly like Bur Dubai and Deira. Most of the people have installed the antennas. “I don’t think they bother about these fines.”

This website had reported earlier that in order to promote “safe and harmonious living” in Discovery Gardens, Nakheel had told residents not to overcrowd apartments, use balconies to store items, smoke in corridors, or set up dish antennas on building roofs. Offenders will face penalties or even be reported to the Dubai Police.

Dh500 fine for balcony clothesline, barbecue from March

Residents of Palm Jumeirah, Jumeirah Lakes Tower, International City and Discovery Gardens will start getting fines from March if they are found hanging clothes or having a barbecue on their balcony, 'Emirates24|7' can reveal.

Trakhees, the organisational arm of Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation, supervises residential communities, which also includes Jumeirah Heights, Jumeirah Village and Jebel Ali Downtown, will end its awareness campaign that started in October last year by month-end.

“We will end our awareness campaign by end-February and start issuing fines to those not obeying the law from March,” a company spokesman told this website.

In November, the Community Conformance Division of Trakhees had informed residents not to fix satellite dishes on the facades or balconies of their buildings; not to use balconies as places of storage for any purpose other than seasonal furniture pieces; not to hang sheets, clothes or curtains or rugs or mops or laundry on balconies or railings of homes and not to have barbecues in their balconies.

The authority says it has undertaken a comprehensive community-based awareness campaign that includes a range of awareness-raising posters and brochures in five languages: Arabic, English, Hindi, Urdu, and Chinese. Those failing to follow the rules would face a fine Dh500 per offence.

Separately, tenants breaching the occupancy limit regulation set up Trakhees could face fines of up to Dh50,000. The maximum allowable occupancy limit for apartments is one person per 200 square feet from the total property area.

'Balcony barbecue’ fine fixed at Dh500

The fine for misusing your balcony or damaging the façade of the building in Trakhees-supervised residential communities will be Dh500 per offence.

In a statement emailed to Emirates 24|7, the authority said initially officers would be warning residents not to misuse their balconies, set up barbecues, or fix any satellite dishes, and those failing to follow the rules will be fined Dh500.

Areas under Trakhees’ supervision, as per Degree No 22, includes, but not limited to Palm Jumeirah, Jumeirah Heights Jumeirah Village, Jumeirah Lakes Tower, Jebel Ali Downtown, International City, Discovery Gardens.

Last week, this website reported that the Community Conformance Division (CCD), Department of Planning & Development of Trakhees has informed residents not to fix satellite dishes on the facades or balconies of their buildings; not to use balconies as places of storage for any purpose other than seasonal furniture pieces; not to hang sheets, clothes or curtains or rugs or mops or laundry on balconies or railings of homes and not to have barbecues in their balconies.

J Sautter, a reader, commented: “I am all in for cleaning up facades and balconies from rubbish, storage, satellite dishes and cloths hanging over the railing. Dubai Marina should be included in this campaign. But drying clothes on a clothes' drying rack should be allowed. Think of the environment, people should not use electric dryers in a climate such as Dubai.”

“Dubai cannot become a jungle of laundries and satellites and smoking barbecues. This is Dubai with its own set of rules and regulations that must be respected. I thank the authorities for maintaining the beauty of Dubai,” said another reader.

Trakhees said the aim of the campaign is to preserve the upscale appearance, which is characteristic of Dubai by reducing the “off-putting” appearances, which adversely impact the overall aesthetics of the emirate.