Doha: To ensure suitable accommodations for workers where they can enjoy a decent life with safety and security, Al Rayyan Municipality has launched inspection campaigns at labour camps inside family residential areas and partitioned villas and residential units.
The municipal inspectors issued 92 warnings to erring labour camps and partitioned residential units under a campaign in Umm Saneem area of Al Rayyan Municipality, the Ministry of Municipality and Environment (MME) has tweeted.
The Ministry said that the campaigns will cover all areas of Al Rayyan Municipality as per the plan chalked out in this regard.
The violation at partitioned residential units was recorded under the law for regulating buildings. However, labour camps received tickets of violations following Law No. 15 of 2010 for banning labour accommodations inside family residential areas and the amended Law No. 22 of 2019 to evacuate erring labour camps.
The Ministry of Municipality and Environment asked citizens and expatriates to adhere to the laws to avoid legal actions against them.
Implementing the provisions of the aforementioned two laws, H E Minister of Municipality and Environment had issued Ministerial Decision No. 105 of 2020 to specify family residential areas where labour accommodations are not allowed.
As per the decision, housing over five workers in a place inside family residential areas is considered violation of the provisions of the law. Therefore, legal actions will be taken against the practice.
The decision stipulates for issuing a warning against the violator – either landlord or tenant or both of them. In addition, a violation will be booked for the practice asking to evacuate the property for running labour camp.
In case of non-compliance with the evacuation order, the property will be evacuated by force. The electricity and water supply to the erring property will be disconnected.
As per the decision, a violator will be punished with a jail sentence of up to six months and a fine from QR50,000 to QR100,000 or one of them.
The law allows H E Minister of Municipality and Environment and his representatives for reconciliation against paying 50 percent of the maximum fine which is QR50,000 and to evacuate the erring property.
The decision No. 105 of 2020 gave exceptions to those accommodations housing female workers regardless of their work nature and domestic help and those who come under it like housemaids and drivers.
The decision came under the efforts of the Ministry of Municipality and Environment to protect the health of workers, curb the labor camps (housing over five workers at a place) in family residential areas, and phenomena of random unsystematic labour camps which do not meet specifications of suitable accommodation.
