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28 March 2024

Illegal use of land: Up to Dh30,000 fine

Published
By Wam

Abu Dhabi City Municipality, represented by Al Wathba Municipal Centre, has carried out a campaign to combat outlawed uses of industrial lands at Al Faya with the aim of regulating the use of industrial lands in a way that does not breach the environmental standards as well as the rules governing the general appearance of the city.

The campaign was aimed at ensuring that all the existing tenancy agreements are renewed, arrears of industrial lands rental are collected, the overall appearance of the city is maintained, and offenders subjected to the provisions of the Industrial Lands Occupation Law, besides combating random dumping of waste or the outlawed loading and unloading of supplies. The campaign covered Al Faya and targeted tenants of industrial lands and investors.

Saeed Ali Al Hajri, Director of Monitoring and Inspection, Al Wathba Municipal Centre, said, "This campaign, and other similar ones, started in January and will continue for three months. A series of recurrent campaigns covering various areas will be carried out quarterly to maintain public health.

"The municipality has taken formal measures against violators of industrial lands who are being issued with offences under Building Law No. 16 for 2009 (Articles 17 and 18) depending on the type of offence, as follows:

"Article 17: Relates to the temporary use of land for undesignated purposes or the breach of the stipulations of using such lands. The fine amounts to Dh30,000 along with the removal of the offending usage.

"Article 18: Relates to the lack of clearing the temporary site after completion of the given period, or in case the reasons for licensing were no longer relevant. The fine amounts to Dh20,000 along with the removal of the offending materials.

Al Hajri continued: "It is important to visit the concerned municipal centre to redress the status and remove the offence within 30 days from the date of issuing the offence, as well as paying 50 per cent of the fine. A reconciliatory settlement will be offered to the offender to settle the remainder of the fine after redressing the status and renewal of the tenancy agreement. In case of no response within 30 days, or rejecting the reconciliation, the offender shall be referred to the Public Prosecution and judicial authorities for taking appropriate actions.

"The municipality highlighted to investors and industrial land plot users the importance of cooperation with the municipality and the concerned authorities to maintain the city's urbanised outlook and protect the environment form all types of pollutants and waste.

The municipality regrets the violations spotted during the campaign such as the abandoned vehicles distorting the public appearance, besides dumping waste in public places, using industrial land plots for purposes other than the designated ones and illegal littering."

Throughout 2015 and up to January 2016, the municipality issued 21 offences related to using temporary land plots for purposes other than the designated ones, or flouting usage stipulations. Fifty-six offences were reported relating to vacating the temporary sites after the lapse of the designation period.

Al Hajri concluded by saying that the municipality wanted to remind industrial land plot owners of the importance of adhering to the laws and systems in place to maintain the overall appearance, besides renewing tenancy contracts in the due time to avoid legal actions to be taken by the municipality.